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.

Geology and geologic history of the Moscow-Pullman basin, Idaho and Washington, from late Grande Ronde to late Saddle Mountains time

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bush, John H; Garwood, Dean L; Dunlap, Pamela

2016-01-01

The Moscow-Pullman basin, located on the eastern margin of the Columbia River flood basalt province, consists of a subsurface mosaic of interlayered Miocene sediments and lava flows of the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, Wanapum, and Saddle Mountains Basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group. This sequence is ~1800 ft (550 m) thick in the east around Moscow, Idaho, and exceeds 2300 ft (700 m) in the west at Pullman, Washington. Most flows entered from the west into a topographic low, partially surrounded by steep mountainous terrain. These flows caused a rapid rise in base level and deposition of immature sediments. This field guide focuses on the upper Grande Ronde Basalt, Wanapum Basalt, and sediments of the Latah Formation.Late Grande Ronde flows terminated midway into the basin to begin the formation of a topographic high that now separates a thick sediment wedge of the Vantage Member to the east of the high from a thin layer to the west. Disrupted by lava flows, streams were pushed from a west-flowing direction to a north-northwest orientation and drained the basin through a gap between steptoes toward Palouse, Washington. Emplacement of the Roza flow of the Wanapum Basalt against the western side of the topographic high was instrumental in this process, plugging west-flowing drainages and increasing deposition of Vantage sediments east of the high. The overlying basalt of Lolo covered both the Roza flow and Vantage sediments, blocking all drainages, and was in turn covered by sediments interlayered with local Saddle Mountains Basalt flows. Reestablishment of west-flowing drainages has been slow.The uppermost Grande Ronde, the Vantage, and the Wanapum contain what is known as the upper aquifer. The water supply is controlled, in part, by thickness, composition, and distribution of the Vantage sediments. A buried channel of the Vantage likely connects the upper aquifer to Palouse, Washington, outside the basin. This field guide locates outcrops; relates them to stratigraphic well data; outlines paleogeographic basin evolution from late Grande Ronde to the present time; and notes structures, basin margin differences, and features that influence upper aquifer water supply.

Numerical Mantle Convection Models of Crustal Formation in an Oceanic Environment in the Early Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Thienen, P.; van den Berg, A. P.; Vlaar, N. J.

2001-12-01

The generation of basaltic crust in the early Earth by partial melting of mantle rocks, subject to investigation in this study, is thought to be a first step in the creation of proto-continents (consisting largely of felsic material), since partial melting of basaltic material was probably an important source for these more evolved rocks. In the early Archean the earth's upper mantle may have been hotter than today by as much as several hundred degrees centigrade. As a consequence, partial melting in shallow convective upwellings would have produced a layering of basaltic crust and underlying depleted (lherzolitic-harzburgitic) mantle peridotite which is much thicker than found under modern day oceanic ridges. When a basaltic crustal layer becomes sufficiently thick, a phase transition to eclogite may occur in the lower parts, which would cause delamination of this dense crustal layer and recycling of dense eclogite into the upper mantle. This recycling mechanism may have contributed significantly to the early cooling of the earth during the Archean (Vlaar et al., 1994). The delamination mechanism which limits the build-up of a thick basaltic crustal layer is switched off after sufficient cooling of the upper mantle has taken place. We present results of numerical modelling experiments of mantle convection including pressure release partial melting. The model includes a simple approximate melt segregation mechanism and basalt to eclogite phase transition, to account for the dynamic accumulation and recycling of the crust in an upper mantle subject to secular cooling. Finite element methods are used to solve for the viscous flow field and the temperature field, and lagrangian particle tracers are used to represent the evolving composition due to partial melting and accumulation of the basaltic crust. We find that this mechanism creates a basaltic crust of several tens of kilometers thickness in several hundreds of million years. This is accompanied by a cooling of some hundred degrees centigrade. Vlaar, N.J., P.E. van Keken and A.P. van den Berg (1994), Cooling of the Earth in the Archaean: consequences of pressure-release melting in a hotter mantle, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol 121, pp. 1-18

Genetic relations of oceanic basalts as indicated by lead isotopes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tatsumoto, M.

1966-01-01

The isotopic compositions of lead and the concentrations of lead, uranium, and thorium in samples of oceanic tholeiite and alkali suites are determined, and the genetic relations of the oceanic basalts are discussed. Lead of the oceanic tholeiites has a varying lead-206 : lead-204 ratio between 17.8 and 18.8, while leads of the alkali basalt suites from Easter Island and Guadalupe Island are very radiogenic with lead-206 : lead-204 ratios between 19.3 and 20.4. It is concluded that (i) the isotopic composition of lead in oceanic tholeiite suggests that the upper mantle source region of the tholeiite was differentiated from an original mantle material more than 1 billion years ago and that the upper mantle is not homogeneous at the present time, (ii) less than 20 million years was required for the crystal differentiation within the alkali suite from Easter Island, (iii) no crustal contamination was involved in the course of differentiation of rocks from Easter Island; however, some crustal contamination may have affected Guadalupe Island rocks, and (iv) alkali basalt may be produced from the tholeiite in the oceanic region by crystal differentiation. Alternatively the difference in the isotopic composition of lead in oceanic basalts may be produced by partial melting at different depths of a differentiated upper mantle.

Hydrogeologic framework and selected components of the groundwater budget for the upper Umatilla River Basin, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herrera, Nora B.; Ely, Kate; Mehta, Smita; Stonewall, Adam J.; Risley, John C.; Hinkle, Stephen R.; Conlon, Terrence D.

2017-05-31

Executive SummaryThis report presents a summary of the hydrogeology of the upper Umatilla River Basin, Oregon, based on characterization of the hydrogeologic framework, horizontal and vertical directions of groundwater flow, trends in groundwater levels, and components of the groundwater budget. The conceptual model of the groundwater flow system integrates available data and information on the groundwater resources of the upper Umatilla River Basin and provides insights regarding key hydrologic processes, such as the interaction between the groundwater and surface water systems and the hydrologic budget.The conceptual groundwater model developed for the study area divides the groundwater flow system into five hydrogeologic units: a sedimentary unit, three Columbia River basalt units, and a basement rock unit. The sedimentary unit, which is not widely used as a source of groundwater in the upper basin, is present primarily in the lowlands and consists of conglomerate, loess, silt and sand deposits, and recent alluvium. The Columbia River Basalt Group is a series of Miocene flood basalts that are present throughout the study area. The basalt is uplifted in the southeastern half of the study area, and either underlies the sedimentary unit, or is exposed at the surface. The interflow zones of the flood basalts are the primary aquifers in the study area. Beneath the flood basalts are basement rocks composed of Paleogene to Pre-Tertiary sedimentary, volcanic, igneous, and metamorphic rocks that are not used as a source of groundwater in the upper Umatilla River Basin.The major components of the groundwater budget in the upper Umatilla River Basin are (1) groundwater recharge, (2) groundwater discharge to surface water and wells, (3) subsurface flow into and out of the basin, and (4) changes in groundwater storage.Recharge from precipitation occurs primarily in the upland areas of the Blue Mountains. Mean annual recharge from infiltration of precipitation for the upper Umatilla River Basin during 1951–2010 is about 9.6 inches per year (in/yr). Annual recharge from precipitation for water year 2010 ranged from 3 in. in the lowland area to about 30 in. in the Blue Mountains. Using Kahle and others (2011) data and methods from the Columbia Plateau regional model, average annual recharge from irrigation is estimated to be about 2.2 in/yr for the 13 square miles of irrigated land in the upper Umatilla River Basin.Groundwater discharges to streams throughout the year and is a large component of annual streamflow in the upper Umatilla River Basin. Upward vertical hydraulic gradients near the Umatilla River indicate the potential for groundwater discharge. Groundwater discharge to the Umatilla River generally occurs in the upper part of the basin, upstream from the main stem.Groundwater development in the upper Umatilla River Basin began sometime after 1950 (Davies-Smith and others, 1988; Gonthier and Bolke, 1991). By water year 2010, groundwater use in the upper Umatilla River Basin was approximately 11,214 acre-feet (acre-ft). Total groundwater withdrawals for the study area were estimated at 7,575 acre-ft for irrigation, 3,173 acre-ft for municipal use, and 466 acre-ft for domestic use.Total groundwater flow into or from the study area depends locally on geology and hydraulic head distribution. Estimates of subsurface flow were calculated using the U.S. Geological Survey Columbia Plateau regional groundwater flow model. Net flux values range from 25,000 to 27,700 acre-ft per year and indicate that groundwater is moving out of the upper Umatilla River Basin into the lower Umatilla River Basin.Water level changes depend on storage changes within an aquifer, and storage changes depend on the storage properties of the aquifer, as well as recharge to or discharge from the aquifer. Groundwater level data in the upper Umatilla River Basin are mostly available from wells in Columbia River basalt units, which indicate areas of long-term water level declines in the Grande Ronde basalt unit near Pendleton and Athena, Oregon. Groundwater levels in the Wanapum basalt unit do not show long-term declines in the upper Umatilla River Basin. Because of pumping, some areas in the upper Umatilla River Basin have shown a decrease, or reversal, in the upward vertical head gradient.Key data needs are improvement of the spatial and temporal distribution of water-level data collection and continued monitoring of streamflow gaging sites. Additionally, refinement of recharge estimates would enhance understanding of the processes that provide the groundwater resources in the upper Umatilla River Basin.

Miocene Basaltic Lava Flows and Dikes of the Intervening Area Between Picture Gorge and Steens Basalt of the CRBG, Eastern Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahoon, E. B.; Streck, M. J.

2016-12-01

Mid-Miocene basaltic lavas and dikes are exposed in the area between the southern extent of the Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) and the northern extent of Steens Basalt in a wide corridor of the Malheur National Forest, eastern Oregon. An approximate mid-Miocene age of sampled basaltic units is indicated by stratigraphic relationships to the 16 Ma Dinner Creek Tuff. Lavas provide an opportunity to extend and/or revise distribution areas of either CRBG unit and explore the petrologic transition between them. The PGB and the Steens Basalt largely represent geochemically distinct tholeiitic units of the CRBG; although each unit displays internal complexity. Lavas of PGB are relatively primitive (MgO 5-9 wt.%) while Steens Basalt ranges in MgO from >9 to 3 wt.% but both units are commonly coarsely porphyritic. Conversely, Steens Basalt compositions are on average more enriched in highly incompatible elements (e.g. Rb, Th) and relatively enriched in the lesser incompatible elements (e.g. Y, Yb) compared to the Picture Gorge basalts. These compositional signatures produce inclined and flat patterns on mantle-normalized incompatible trace element plots but with similar troughs and spikes, respectively. New compositional data from our study area indicate basaltic lavas can be assigned as PGB lava flows and dikes, and also to a compositional group chemically distinct between Steens Basalt and PGB. Distribution of lava flows with PGB composition extend this CRBG unit significantly south/southeast closing the exposure gap between PGB and Steens Basalt. We await data that match Steens Basalt compositions but basaltic lavas with petrographic features akin to Steens Basalt have been identified in the study area. Lavas of the transitional unit share characteristics with Upper Steens and Picture Gorge basalt types, but identify a new seemingly unique composition. This composition is slightly more depleted in the lesser incompatible elements (i.e. steeper pattern) on mantle normalized incompatible element diagrams, relatively enriched in Sr, and overall reflects more HFSE depletion than Upper Steens Basalt. Similar compositional patterns have also been observed among lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics located immediately east of our study area.

SRTM Stereo Pair: Meseta de Somuncura, Patagonia, Argentina

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-07-27

The Meseta de Somuncura is a semi-arid basalt plateau in northern Patagonia. This view of the northwestern part of the plateau, near Los Menucos, Argentina, shows numerous depressions where the upper basalt layers are missing or collapsed.

Previously unrecognized regional structure of the Coastal Belt of the Franciscan Complex, northern California, revealed by magnetic data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, V.E.; Jachens, R.C.; Wentworth, C.M.; McLaughlin, R.J.

2013-01-01

Magnetic anomalies provide surprising structural detail within the previously undivided Coastal Belt, the westernmost, youngest, and least-metamorphosed part of the Franciscan Complex of northern California. Although the Coastal Belt consists almost entirely of arkosic graywacke and shale of mainly Eocene age, new detailed aeromagnetic data show that it is pervasively marked by long, narrow, and regularly spaced anomalies. These anomalies arise from relatively simple tabular bodies composed principally of magnetic basalt or graywacke confined mainly to the top couple of kilometers, even though metamorphic grade indicates that these rocks have been more deeply buried, at depths of 5–8 km. If true, this implies surprisingly uniform uplift of these rocks. The basalt (and associated Cretaceous limestone) occurs largely in the northern part of the Coastal Belt; the graywacke is recognized only in the southern Coastal Belt and is magnetic because it contains andesitic grains. The magnetic grains were not derived from the basalt, and thus require a separate source. The anomalies define simple patterns that can be related to folding and faulting within the Coastal Belt. This apparent simplicity belies complex structure mapped at outcrop scale, which can be explained if the relatively simple tabular bodies are internally deformed, fault-bounded slabs. One mechanism that can explain the widespread lateral extent of the thin layers of basalt is peeling up of the uppermost part of the oceanic crust into the accretionary prism, controlled by porosity and permeability contrasts caused by alteration in the upper part of the subducting slab. It is not clear, however, how this mechanism might generate fault-bounded layers containing magnetic graywacke. We propose that structural domains defined by anomaly trend, wavelength, and source reflect imbrication and folding during the accretion process and local plate interactions as the Mendocino triple junction migrated north, a hypothesis that should be tested by more detailed structural studies.

Peridotites and basalts reveal broad congruence between two independent records of mantle fO2 despite local redox heterogeneity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birner, Suzanne K.; Cottrell, Elizabeth; Warren, Jessica M.; Kelley, Katherine A.; Davis, Fred A.

2018-07-01

The oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the oceanic upper mantle has fundamental implications for the production of magmas and evolution of the Earth's interior and exterior. Mid-ocean ridge basalts and peridotites sample the oceanic upper mantle, and retain a record of oxygen fugacity. While fO2 has been calculated for mid-ocean ridge basalts worldwide (>200 locations), ridge peridotites have been comparatively less well studied (33 samples from 11 locations), and never in the same geographic location as basalts. In order to determine whether peridotites and basalts from mid-ocean ridges record congruent information about the fO2 of the Earth's interior, we analyzed 31 basalts and 41 peridotites from the Oblique Segment of the Southwest Indian Ridge. By measuring basalts and peridotites from the same ridge segment, we can compare samples with maximally similar petrogenetic histories. We project the composition and oxygen fugacity of each lithology back to source conditions, and evaluate the effects of factors such as subsolidus diffusion in peridotites and fractional crystallization in basalts. We find that, on average, basalts and peridotites from the Oblique Segment both reflect a source mantle very near the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) buffer. However, peridotites record a significantly wider range of values (nearly 3 orders of magnitude in fO2), with a single dredge recording a range in fO2 greater than that previously reported for mid-ocean ridge peridotites worldwide. This suggests that mantle fO2 may be heterogeneous on relatively short length scales, and that this heterogeneity may be obscured within aggregated basalt melts. We further suggest that the global peridotite fO2 dataset may not provide a representative sample of average basalt-source mantle. Our study motivates further investigation of the fO2 recorded by ridge peridotites, as peridotites record information about the fO2 of the Earth's interior that cannot be gleaned from analysis of basalts alone.

Detrital zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He geochronology of intercalated baked sediments: A new approach to dating young basalt flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Frances J.; van Soest, Matthijs C.; Hodges, Kip V.

2011-07-01

Simple numerical models suggest that many basaltic lava flows should sufficiently heat the sediments beneath them to reset (U-Th)/He systematics in detrital zircon and apatite. This result suggests a useful way to date such flows when more conventional geochronological approaches are either impractical or yield specious results. We present here a test of this method on sediments interstratified with basalt flows of the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field of New Mexico. Nineteen zircons and apatites from two samples of baked sand collected from the uppermost 2 cm of a fluvial channel beneath a flow of the Upper Member of the Servilleta Basalt yielded an apparent age of 3.487 ± 0.047 Ma (2 SE confidence level), within the range of all published 40Ar/39Ar dates for other flows in the Upper Member (2.81-3.72 Ma) and statistically indistinguishable from the 40Ar/39Ar dates for basal flows of the Upper Member with which the studied flow is broadly correlative (3.61 ± 0.13 Ma). Given the high yield of 4He from U and Th decay, this technique may be especially useful for dating Pleistocene basalt flows. Detailed studies of the variation of (U-Th)/He detrital mineral dates in sedimentary substrates, combined with thermal modeling, may be a valuable tool for physical volcanologists who wish to explore the temporal and spatial evolution of individual flows and lava fields.

Hydrogeologic framework of the Wood River Valley aquifer system, south-central Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartolino, James R.; Adkins, Candice B.

2012-01-01

The Wood River Valley contains most of the population of Blaine County and the cities of Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, and Bellevue. This mountain valley is underlain by the alluvial Wood River Valley aquifer system, which consists primarily of a single unconfined aquifer that underlies the entire valley, an underlying confined aquifer that is present only in the southernmost valley, and the confining unit that separates them. The entire population of the area depends on groundwater for domestic supply, either from domestic or municipal-supply wells, and rapid population growth since the 1970s has caused concern about the long-term sustainability of the groundwater resource. As part of an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey effort to characterize the groundwater resources of the Wood River Valley, this report describes the hydrogeologic framework of the Wood River Valley aquifer system. Although most of the Wood River Valley aquifer system is composed of Quaternary-age sediments and basalts of the Wood River Valley and its tributaries, older igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks that underlie these Quaternary deposits also are used for water supply. It is unclear to what extent these rocks are hydraulically connected to the main part of Wood River Valley aquifer system and thus whether they constitute separate aquifers. Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in and near the study area that produce water to wells and springs are the Phi Kappa and Trail Creek Formations (Ordovician and Silurian), the Milligen Formation (Devonian), and the Sun Valley Group including the Wood River Formation (Pennsylvanian-Permian) and the Dollarhide Formation (Permian). These sedimentary rocks are intruded by granitic rocks of the Late Cretaceous Idaho batholith. Eocene Challis Volcanic Group rocks overlie all of the older rocks (except where removed by erosion). Miocene Idavada Volcanics are found in the southern part of the study area. Most of these rocks have been folded, faulted, and metamorphosed to some degree, thus rock types and their relationships vary over distance. Quaternary-age sediment and basalt compose the primary source of groundwater in the Wood River Valley aquifer system. These Quaternary deposits can be divided into three units: a coarse-grained sand and gravel unit, a fine-grained silt and clay unit, and a single basalt unit. The fine- and coarse-grained units were primarily deposited as alluvium derived from glaciation in the surrounding mountains and upper reaches of tributary canyons. The basalt unit is found in the southeastern Bellevue fan area and is composed of two flows of different ages. Most of the groundwater produced from the Wood River Valley aquifer system is from the coarse-grained deposits. The altitude of the pre-Quaternary bedrock surface in the Wood River Valley was compiled from about 1,000 well-driller reports for boreholes drilled to bedrock and about 70 Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) ambient-noise measurements. The bedrock surface generally mimics the land surface by decreasing down tributary canyons and the main valley from north to south; it ranges from more than 6,700 feet in Baker Creek to less than 4,600 feet in the central Bellevue fan. Most of the south-central portion of the Bellevue fan is underlain by an apparent topographically closed area on the bedrock surface that appears to drain to the southwest towards Stanton Crossing. Quaternary sediment thickness ranges from less than a foot on main and tributary valley margins to about 350 feet in the central Bellevue fan. Hydraulic conductivity for 81 wells in the study area was estimated from well-performance tests reported on well-driller reports. Estimated hydraulic conductivity for 79 wells completed in alluvium ranges from 1,900 feet per day (ft/d) along Warm Springs Creek to less than 1 ft/d in upper Croy Canyon. A well completed in bedrock had an estimated hydraulic conductivity value of 10 ft/d, one well completed in basalt had a value of 50 ft/d, and three wells completed in the confined system had values ranging from 32 to 52 ft/d. Subsurface outflow of groundwater from the Wood River Valley aquifer system into the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer was estimated to be 4,000 acre-feet per year. Groundwater outflow beneath Stanton Crossing to the Camas Prairie was estimated to be 300 acre-feet per year.

Behaviour of Ni-PGE-Au-Cu in mafic-ultramafic volcanic suites of the 2.7 Ga Kambalda Sequence, Kalgoorlie Terrane, Yilgarn Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Said, Nuru; Kerrich, Robert; Maier, W. D.; McCuaig, Campbell

2011-05-01

The 2.7 Ga Kambalda Sequence comprises a mafic to ultramafic dominated volcanic rock sequence of the Kalgoorlie Terrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. The Sequence is divided into Lower and Upper Units separated by the Kambalda Komatiite Formation. Five basalt suites of the Lower Unit are tholeiitic where MgO spans 5-10 wt.% MgO, with minor assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC), whereas six volcanic suites identified in the Upper Unit are tholeiitic to komatiitic-basalts with MgO 24-5 wt.% having generally greater degrees of AFC. Upper suites plot at Al 2O 3/TiO 2 (17-26) close to the primitive mantle ratio of 21, and Pt + Pd (19-31 ppb), whereas the PGE-depleted Lower basalts plot at generally lower Al 2O 3/TiO 2 (<16) and Pt + Pd (<10 ppb). Most suites have an average Pt/Pd ratio of 1.11, despite large variations in MgO contents, broadly consistent with the Pt/Pd ratio in the primitive mantle. On primitive mantle-normalised PGE plots, Upper suites generally display less fractionated patterns of the IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru and Rh) from the PPGE (Pt and Pd) relative to the Lower basalts. Most suites exhibit patterns with positive slopes reflecting relative enrichment of Pd, Pt, Au and Cu relative to Ni and IPGE. In suites of both Units, the concentrations of Ir and Ru fall with decreasing MgO contents, indicating their broadly compatible behaviour during magmatic evolution that involved AFC. Platinum and Pd behave as incompatible elements in the high-MgO suites, whereas Pt and Pd behave compatibly during crystallisation of the Lower basalt magmas, an interpretation consistent with progressively higher Cu/Pt and Cu/Pd ratios at decreasing MgO contents, and with falling Pt/Ti, collectively due to sulphur saturation induced by AFC as recorded in an antivariance of Pd/Ir with Nb/Th, a monitor of AFC. Collectively, the data suggest that several of the Lower Basalt suites crystallised under sulphide-saturated conditions, whereas most of the Upper Basalt Sequences remained sulphur undersaturated during magmatic evolution. Alteration, and fractional crystallisation of silicate and oxide phases, can be ruled out as factors governing PGE distribution in these mafic-ultramafic suites. Instead, the data suggest that discrete PGE-bearing phase (s) fractionated from the magmas. Such phases could be platinum group minerals (PGM; e.g., laurite) and/or alloys, or discrete PGE-rich nuggets or sulphides.

Compressional and shear wave velocities in granular materials to 2.5 kilobars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talwani, P.; Nur, A.; Kovach, R. L.

1973-01-01

The velocities of seismic compressional waves and, for the first time, shear wave velocities in silica sand, volcanic ash, and basalt powder were determined under hydrostatic confining pressures to 2.5 kb. Simultaneously, the porosity of these materials was obtained as a function of confining pressure. The presented results have important implications for the self-compaction hypothesis that has been postulated to explain the lunar near-surface seismic velocity variation.

Deformation modes in an Icelandic basalt: From brittle failure to localized deformation bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adelinet, M.; Fortin, J.; Schubnel, A.; Guéguen, Y.

2013-04-01

According to the stress state, deformation mode observed in rocks may be very different. Even in the brittle part of the crust a differential stress can induce shear failure but also localized compacting deformation, such as compaction bands in porous sedimentary rocks. The mode of deformation controls many hydrodynamic factors, such as permeability and porosity. We investigate in this paper two different modes of deformation in an Icelandic basalt by using laboratory seismological tools (elastic waves and acoustic emissions) and microstructural observations. First of all, we show that at low effective confining pressure (Peff = 5 MPa) an axial loading induces a shear failure in the basalt with an angle of about 30° with respect to the main stress direction. On the contrary, at high effective confining pressure (Peff ≥ 75 MPa and more) an increase of the axial stress induces a localization of the deformation in the form of subhorizontal bands again with respect to the main stress direction. In this second regime, focal mechanisms of the acoustic emissions reveal an important number of compression events suggesting pore collapse mechanisms. Microstructural observations confirm this assumption. Similar compaction structures are usually obtained for porous sedimentary rocks (20-25%). However, the investigated basalt has an initial total porosity of only about 10% so that compaction structures were not expected. The pore size and the ratio of pore to grain size are likely to be key factors for the particular observed mechanical behavior.

Hydrogeologic framework and hydrologic budget components of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kahle, S.C.; Morgan, D.S.; Welch, W.B.; Ely, D.M.; Hinkle, S.R.; Vaccaro, J.J.; Orzol, L.L.

2011-01-01

The Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System (CPRAS) covers an area of about 44,000 square miles in a structural and topographic basin within the drainage of the Columbia River in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The primary aquifers are basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and overlying sediment. Eighty percent of the groundwater use in the study area is for irrigation, in support of a $6 billion per year agricultural economy. Water-resources issues in the Columbia Plateau include competing agricultural, domestic, and environmental demands. Groundwater levels were measured in 470 wells in 1984 and 2009; water levels declined in 83 percent of the wells, and declines greater than 25 feet were measured in 29 percent of the wells. Conceptually, the system is a series of productive basalt aquifers consisting of permeable interflow zones separated by less permeable flow interiors; in places, sedimentary aquifers overly the basalts. The aquifer system of the CPRAS includes seven hydrogeologic units-the overburden aquifer, three aquifer units in the permeable basalt rock, two confining units, and a basement confining unit. The overburden aquifer includes alluvial and colluvial valley-fill deposits; the three basalt units are the Saddle Mountains, Wanapum, and Grande Ronde Basalts and their intercalated sediments. The confining units are equivalent to the Saddle Mountains-Wanapum and Wanapum-Grande Ronde interbeds, referred to in this study as the Mabton and Vantage Interbeds, respectively. The basement confining unit, referred to as Older Bedrock, consists of pre-CRBG rocks that generally have much lower permeabilities than the basalts and are considered the base of the regional flow system. Based on specific-capacity data, median horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kh) values for the overburden, basalt units, and bedrock are 161, 70, and 6 feet per day, respectively. Analysis of oxygen isotopes in water and carbon isotopes in dissolved inorganic carbon from groundwater samples indicates that groundwater in the CPRAS ranges in age from modern (10,000 years). The oldest groundwater resides in deep, downgradient locations indicating that groundwater movement and replenishment in parts of this regional aquifer system have operated on long timescales under past natural conditions, which is consistent with the length and depth of long flow paths in the system. The mean annual recharge from infiltration of precipitation for the 23-year period 1985-2007 was estimated to be 4.6 inches per year (14,980 cubic feet per second) using a polynomial regression equation based on annual precipitation and the results of recharge modeling done in the 1980s. A regional-scale hydrologic budget was developed using a monthly SOil WATer (SOWAT) Balance model to estimate irrigation-water demand, groundwater flux (recharge or discharge), direct runoff, and soil moisture within irrigated areas. Mean monthly irrigation throughout the study area peaks in July at 1.6 million acre-feet (MAF), of which 0.45 and 1.15 MAF are from groundwater and surface-water sources, respectively. Annual irrigation water use in the study area averaged 5.3 MAF during the period 1985-2007, with 1.4 MAF (or 26 percent) supplied from groundwater and 3.9 MAF supplied from surface water. Mean annual recharge from irrigation return flow in the study area was 4.2 MAF (1985-2007) with 2.1 MAF (50 percent) occurring within the predominately surface-water irrigated regions of the study area. Annual groundwater-use estimates were made for public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, and other uses for the period 1984 through 2009. Public supply groundwater use within the study area increased from 200,600 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/yr) in 1984 to 269,100 acre-ft/yr in 2009. Domestic self-supplied groundwater use increased from 54,580 acre-ft/yr in 1984 to 71,160 acre-ft/yr in 2009. Industrial groundwater use decreased from 53,390 acre-ft/yr in 1984 t

Physical stratigraphy and hydrostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene sediments, Burke and Screven Counties, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Falls, W.F.; Baum, J.S.; Prowell, D.C.

1997-01-01

Six geologic units are recognized in the Cretaceous and the Paleocene sediments of eastern Burke and Screven Counties in Georgia on the basis of lithologic, geophysical, and paleontologic data collected from three continuously cored testholes in Georgia and one testhole in South Carolina. The six geologic units are separated by regional unconformities and are designated from oldest to youngest as the Cape Fear Formation, the Middendorf Formation, the Black Creek Group (undivided), and the Steel Creek Formation in the Upper Cretaceous section, and the Ellenton and the Snapp Formations in the Paleocene section. The geologic units provide a spatial and temporal framework for the identification and correlation of a basal confining unit beneath the Midville aquifer system and five aquifers and five confining units in the Dublin and the Midville aquifer systems. The Dublin aquifer system is divided hydrostratigraphically into the Millers Pond, the upper Dublin, and the lower Dublin aquifers. The Midville aquifer system is divided hydrostratigraphically into the upper and the lower Midville aquifers. The fine-grained sediments of the Millers Pond, the lower Dublin, and the lower Midville confining units are nonmarine deposits and are present in the upper part of the Snapp Formation, the Black Creek Group (undivided), and the Middendorf Formation, respectively. Hydrologic data for specific sets of monitoring wells at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the Millers Pond site in Georgia confirm that these three units are leaky confining units and locally impede vertical ground-water flow between adjacent aquifers. The fine-grained sediments of the upper Dublin and the upper Midville confining units are marine-deltaic deposits of the Ellenton Formation and the Black Creek Group (undivided), respectively. Hydrologic data confirm that the upper Dublin confining unit regionally impedes vertical ground-water flow on both sides of the Savannah River. The upper Midville confining unit impedes vertical ground-water flow in the middle and downdip parts of the study area and is a leaky confining unit in the updip part of the study area. Recognition of the upper Dublin confining unit as a regional confining unit between the Millers Pond and the upper Dublin aquifers also confirms that the Millers Pond aquifer is a separate hydrologic unit from the rest of the Dublin aquifer system. This multi-aquifer framework increases the vertical hydrostratigraphic resolution of hydraulic properties and gradients in the Dublin and Midville aquifer systems for the investigation of ground-water flow beneath the Savannah River in the vicinity of the U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site.

Predicting the tensile strength of A UD basalt/ epoxy composite used for the confinement of concrete structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciniņa, I.; Zīle, O.; Andersons, J.

2013-01-01

The principal aim of the present research was to predict the strength of UD basalt fiber/epoxy matrix composites in tension along the reinforcement direction. Tension tests on single basalt fibers were performed to determine the functional form of their strength distribution and to evaluate the parameters of the distribution. Also, microbond tests were carried out to assess the interfacial shear strength of the fibers and polymer matrix. UD composite specimens were produced and tested for the longitudinal tensile strength. The predicted strength of the composite was found to exceed the experimental values by ca. 20%, which can be explained by imperfections in the fiber alignment, impregnation, and adhesion in the composite specimens.

In search of ancestral Kilauea volcano

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lipman, P.W.; Sisson, T.W.; Ui, T.; Naka, J.

2000-01-01

Submersible observations and samples show that the lower south flank of Hawaii, offshore from Kilauea volcano and the active Hilina slump system, consists entirely of compositionally diverse volcaniclastic rocks; pillow lavas are confined to shallow slopes. Submarine-erupted basalt clasts have strongly variable alkalic and transitional basalt compositions (to 41% SiO2, 10.8% alkalies), contrasting with present-day Kilauea tholeiites. The volcaniclastic rocks provide a unique record of ancestral alkalic growth of an archetypal hotspot volcano, including transition to its tholeiitic shield stage, and associated slope-failure events.

Thorium-uranium fractionation by garnet - Evidence for a deep source and rapid rise of oceanic basalts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latourrette, T. Z.; Kennedy, A. K.; Wasserburg, G. J.

1993-01-01

Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean island basalts (OIBs) are derived by partial melting of the upper mantle and are marked by systematic excesses of thorium-230 activity relative to the activity of its parent, uranium-238. Experimental measurements of the distribution of thorium and uranium between the melt and solid residue show that, of the major phases in the upper mantle, only garnet will retain uranium over thorium. This sense of fractionation, which is opposite to that caused by clinopyroxene-melt partitioning, is consistent with the thorium-230 excesses observed in young oceanic basalts. Thus, both MORBs and OIBs must begin partial melting in the garnet stability field or below about 70 kilometers. A calculation shows that the thorium-230-uranium-238 disequilibrium in MORBs can be attributed to dynamic partial melting beginning at 80 kilometers with a melt porosity of 0.2 percent or more. This result requires that melting beneath ridges occurs in a wide region and that the magma rises to the surface at a velocity of at least 0.9 meter per year.

Simulation of groundwater flow and the interaction of groundwater and surface water in the Willamette Basin and Central Willamette subbasin, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herrera, Nora B.; Burns, Erick R.; Conlon, Terrence D.

2014-01-01

Full appropriation of tributary streamflow during summer, a growing population, and agricultural needs are increasing the demand for groundwater in the Willamette Basin. Greater groundwater use could diminish streamflow and create seasonal and long-term declines in groundwater levels. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) cooperated in a study to develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of the groundwater-flow system of the Willamette Basin with an emphasis on the Central Willamette subbasin. This final report from the cooperative study describes numerical models of the regional and local groundwater-flow systems and evaluates the effects of pumping on groundwater and surface‑water resources. The models described in this report can be used to evaluate spatial and temporal effects of pumping on groundwater, base flow, and stream capture. The regional model covers about 6,700 square miles of the 12,000-square mile Willamette and Sandy River drainage basins in northwestern Oregon—referred to as the Willamette Basin in this report. The Willamette Basin is a topographic and structural trough that lies between the Coast Range and the Cascade Range and is divided into five sedimentary subbasins underlain and separated by basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group (Columbia River basalt) that crop out as local uplands. From north to south, these five subbasins are the Portland subbasin, the Tualatin subbasin, the Central Willamette subbasin, the Stayton subbasin, and the Southern Willamette subbasin. Recharge in the Willamette Basin is primarily from precipitation in the uplands of the Cascade Range, Coast Range, and western Cascades areas. Groundwater moves downward and laterally through sedimentary or basalt units until it discharges locally to wells, evapotranspiration, or streams. Mean annual groundwater withdrawal for water years 1995 and 1996 was about 400 cubic feet per second; irrigation withdrawals accounted for about 80 percent of that total. The upper 180 feet of productive aquifers in the Central Willamette and Southern Willamette subbasins produced about 70 percent of the total pumped volume. In this study, the USGS constructed a three-dimensional numerical finite-difference groundwater-flow model of the Willamette Basin representing the six hydrogeologic units, defined in previous investigations, as six model layers. From youngest to oldest, and [generally] uppermost to lowermost they are the: upper sedimentary unit, Willamette silt unit, middle sedimentary unit, lower sedimentary unit, Columbia River basalt unit, and basement confining unit. The high Cascade unit is not included in the groundwater-flow model because it is not present within the model boundaries. Geographic boundaries are simulated as no-flow (no water flowing in or out of the model), except where the Columbia River is simulated as a constant hydraulic head boundary. Streams are designated as head-dependent-flux boundaries, in which the flux depends on the elevation of the stream surface. Groundwater recharge from precipitation was estimated using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), a watershed model that accounts for evapotranspiration from the unsaturated zone. Evapotranspiration from the saturated zone was not considered an important component of groundwater discharge. Well pumping was simulated as specified flux and included public supply, irrigation, and industrial pumping. Hydraulic conductivity values were estimated from previous studies through aquifer slug and permeameter tests, specific capacity data, core analysis, and modeling. Upper, middle and lower sedimentary unit horizontal hydraulic conductivity values were differentiated between the Portland subbasin and the Tualatin, Central Willamette, and Southern Willamette subbasins based on preliminary model results.

Plume magmatism and crustal growth at 2.9 to 3.0 Ga in the Steep Rock and Lumby Lake area, Western Superior Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomlinson, K. Y.; Hughes, D. J.; Thurston, P. C.; Hall, R. P.

1999-01-01

The greenstone belts of the western Superior Province are predominantly 2.78 to 2.69 Ga and provide evidence of oceanic and arc volcanism during the accretionary phase of development of the Superior Province. There is also scattered evidence of Meso-Archean crust (predominantly 2.9 to 3.0 Ga) within the western Superior Province. The Meso-Archean greenstone belts commonly contain platformal sediments and unconformably overlie granitoid basement. The platformal sediments occur associated with komatiitic and tholeiitic volcanic rocks that suggest a history of magmatism associated with rifting during the Meso-Archean. The central Wabigoon Subprovince is a key area of Meso-Archean crust and in its southern portion comprises the Steep Rock, Finlayson and Lumby Lake greenstone belts. The Steep Rock greenstone belt unconformably overlies 3 Ga continental basement and contains platformal sediments succeeded by komatiitic and tholeiitic volcanic rocks. The Lumby Lake greenstone belt contains thick sequences of mafic volcanics, a number of komatiite horizons, and thin platformal sedimentary units. The two belts are joined by the predominantly mafic volcanic Finlayson greenstone belt. The volcanics throughout these three greenstone belts may be correlated to some extent and a range of basaltic and komatiite types is present. Al-undepleted komatiites present in the Lumby Lake greenstone belt have an Al 2O 3/TiO 2 ratio ranging from 14 to 27 and (Gd/Yb) N from 0.7 to 1.3. These are divided into basaltic komatiites with generally unfractionated mantle-normalised multi-element profiles, and spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts with slightly light REE enriched multi-element profiles and small negative Nb and Ta anomalies. The unfractionated basaltic komatiites represent high degree partial melts of the upper mantle whereas the spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts represent evolutionary products of the komatiite liquids following olivine and chromite fractionation and crustal contamination. Al-depleted komatiites are present in both the Lumby Lake and Steep Rock belts and have Al 2O 3/TiO 2 ratio ranges from 2.5 to 5. These display strong enrichment in the light REE and Nb and strong depletion in the heavy REE and Y ((Gd/Yb) N=2-4). They represent a deep mantle plume source generated from a high degree of partial melting in the majorite garnet stability field. The basaltic flows in all three greenstone belts are predominantly slightly light REE depleted and represent a slightly depleted upper mantle source. Basalts spatially associated with the unfractionated basaltic komatiites and the slightly light REE enriched spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts are also slightly enriched in light REE and have negative Nb and Ta anomalies. These basalts represent evolved products of the primitive basaltic komatiites and enriched spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts after further crustal contamination and olivine and clinopyroxene fractionation. The geochemical stratigraphy in the Lumby Lake belt is consistent with an ascending mantle plume model. The light REE depleted basalts were derived from upper mantle melted by an ascending mantle plume. These are overlain by the unfractionated basaltic komatiites and their evolutionary products which represent hotter plume head material derived from a mixture of plume mantle and entrained depleted upper mantle. In turn, these are overlain by strongly light REE and HFSE enriched komatiites that represent a deep plume source that has not been mixed with depleted mantle and are, therefore, likely to have been derived from a plume core or tail. Volcanism was protracted in these three greenstone belts lasting ca. 70 Ma and combined stratigraphic evidence from the Lumby Lake and Steep Rock belts suggests that more than one plume may have ascended and tapped the same mantle sources, over time, within the area. Plume magmatism and rifting of continental platforms thus appears to have been an important feature of crustal development in the Meso-Archean.

Redox state of recycled crustal lithologies in the convective upper mantle constrained using oceanic basalt CO2-trace element systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguchi, J.; Dasgupta, R.

2017-12-01

Investigating the redox state of the convective upper mantle remains challenging as there is no way of retrieving samples from this part of the planet. Current views of mantle redox are based on Fe3+/∑Fe of minerals in mantle xenoliths and thermodynamic calculations of fO2 [1]. However, deep xenoliths are only recoverable from continental lithospheric mantle, which may have different fO2s than the convective oceanic upper mantle [1]. To gain insight on the fO2 of the deep parts of the oceanic upper mantle, we probe CO2-trace element systematics of basalts that have been argued to receive contributions from subducted crustal lithologies that typically melt deeper than peridotite. Because CO2 contents of silicate melts at graphite saturation vary with fO2 [2], we suggest CO2-trace element systematics of oceanic basalts which sample deep heterogeneities may provide clues about the fO2 of the convecting mantle containing embedded heterogeneities. We developed a new model to predict CO2 contents in nominally anhydrous silicate melts from graphite- to fluid-saturation over a range of P (0.05- 5 GPa), T (950-1600 °C), and composition (foidite-rhyolite). We use the model to calculate CO2 content as a function of fO2 for partial melts of lithologies that vary in composition from rhyolitic sediment melt to silica-poor basaltic melt of pyroxenites. We then use modeled CO2 contents in mixing calculations with partial melts of depleted mantle to constrain the fO2 required for partial melts of heterogeneities to deliver sufficient CO2 to explain CO2-trace element systematics of natural basalts. As an example, Pitcairn basalts, which show evidence of a subducted crustal component [3] require mixing of 40% of partial melts of a garnet pyroxenite at ΔFMQ -1.75 at 3 GPa. Mixing with a more silicic composition such as partial melts of a MORB-eclogite cannot deliver enough CO2 at graphite saturation, so in this scenario fO2 must be above the EMOG/D buffer at 4 GPa. Results suggest convecting upper mantle may be more oxidized than continental lithospheric mantle, and fO2 profiles of continental lithospheric mantle may not be applicable to convective upper mantle.[1] Frost, D, McCammon, C. 2008. An Rev E & P Sci. (36) p.389-420; [2] Holloway, J, et al. 1992. Eu J. Min. (4) p. 105-114; [3] Woodhead, J, Devey C. 1993. EPSL. (116) p. 81-99.

New Hafnium Isotope and Trace Element Constraints on the Role of a Plume in Genesis of the Eastern Snake River Plain Basalts, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, R. D.; Reid, M. R.; Blichert-Toft, J.

2009-12-01

Bimodal volcanism associated with the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP)-Yellowstone Plateau province has persisted since approximately 16 Ma. A time-transgressive track of rhyolitic eruptions which young progressively to the east and parallel the motion of the North American plate are overlain by younger basalts with no age progression. Interpretations for the origin of these basalts range from a thermo-chemical mantle plume to incipient melting of the shallow upper mantle, and remain controversial. The enigmatic ESRP basalts are characterized by high 3He/4He, diagnostic of a plume source, but also by lithophile radiogenic isotope signatures that are more enriched than expected for plume-derived OIBs. These features could possibly be caused by isotopic decoupling associated with shallow melting of a hybridized upper mantle, or derivation from an atypical mantle plume, or both by way of mixing. New Hf isotope and trace element data further constrain potential sources for the ESRP basalts. Their Hf isotopic signatures (ɛHf = +0.1 to -5.8) are moderately enriched and consistently fall above or in the upper part of the field of OIBs, with similar Nd isotope signatures (ɛNd = -2.0 to -5.8), indicating a source with high time-integrated Lu/Hf compared with Sm/Nd. The isotopic compositions of the basalts lie between those of Archean SCML and a more depleted end-member source, suggestive of contributions from at least two sources. The grouping of isotopic characteristics is compact compared to other regional volcanism, implying that the hybridization process is highly reproducible within the ESRP. Minor localized differences in isotopic composition may signify local variations in the relative proportions of the end-members. Trace element patterns also support genesis of the ESRP basalts from an enriched source. Our data detect evidence of deeper contributions derived from the garnet-stability field, and a greater affinity of the trace element signatures to plume sources than to sources in the mantle lithosphere. The Hf isotope and trace element characteristics of the ESRP basalts thus support a model of derivation from a deep mantle plume with additional melt contributions and isotopic overprinting from SCML.

Geochronology, stratigraphy and geochemistry of Cambro-Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian volcanic rocks of the Saxothuringian Zone in NE Bavaria (Germany)—new constraints for Gondwana break up and ocean-island magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höhn, Stefan; Koglin, Nikola; Klopf, Lisa; Schüssler, Ulrich; Tragelehn, Harald; Frimmel, Hartwig E.; Zeh, Armin; Brätz, Helene

2018-01-01

Stratigraphically well-defined volcanic rocks in Palaeozoic volcano-sedimentary units of the Frankenwald area (Saxothuringian Zone, Variscan Orogen) were sampled for geochemical characterisation and U-Pb zircon dating. The oldest rock suite comprises quartz keratophyre, brecciated keratophyre, quartz keratophyre tuff and basalt, formed in Upper Cambrian to Tremadocian time (c. 497-478 Ma). Basaltic volcanism continued until the Silurian. Quartz keratophyre shows post-collisional calc-alkaline signature, the Ordovician-Silurian basalt has alkaline signature typical of continental rift environments. The combined datasets provide evidence of Cambro-Ordovician bimodal volcanism and successive rifting until the Silurian. This evolution very likely resulted from break-up of the northern Gondwana margin, as recorded in many terranes throughout Europe. The position at the northern Gondwana margin is supported by detrital zircon grains in some tuffs, with typical Gondwana-derived age spectra mostly recording ages of 550-750 Ma and minor age populations of 950-1100 and 1700-2700 Ma. The absence of N-MORB basalt in the Frankenwald area points to a retarded break-off of the Saxothuringian terrane along a continental rift system from Uppermost Cambrian to Middle Silurian time. Geochemical data for a second suite of Upper Devonian basalt provide evidence of emplacement in a hot spot-related ocean-island setting south of the Rheic Ocean. Our results also require partial revision of the lithostratigraphy of the Frankenwald area. The basal volcanic unit of the Randschiefer Formation yielded a Tremadocian age and, therefore, should be attributed to the Vogtendorf Formation. Keratophyre of the Vogtendorf Formation, previously assigned to the Tremadoc, is most likely of Upper Devonian age.

Geology and ground water of the Tualatin Valley, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, D.H.; Newcomb, R.C.

1965-01-01

The Tualatin Valley proper consists of broad valley plains, ranging in altitude from 100 to 300 feet, and the lower mountain slopes of the drainage basin of the Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon. The valley is almost entirely farmed. Its population is increasing rapidly, partly because of the expansion of metropolitan Portland. Structurally, the bedrock of the basin is a saucer-shaped syncline almost bisected lengthwise by a ridge. The bedrock basin has been partly filled by alluvium, which underlies the valley plains. Ground water occurs in the Columbia River basalt, a lava unit that forms the top several hundred feet of the bedrock, and also in the zones of fine sand in the upper part of the alluvial fill. It occurs under unconfined, confined, and perched conditions. Graphs of the observed water levels in wells show that the ground water is replenished each year by precipitation. The graphs show also that the amount and time of recharge vary in different aquifers and for different modes of ground-water occurrence. The shallower alluvial aquifers are refilled each year to a level where further infiltration recharge is retarded and water drains away as surface runoff. No occurrences of undue depletion of the ground water by pumping are known. The facts indicate that there is a great quantity of additional water available for future development. The ground water is developed for use by some spring works and by thousands of wells, most of which are of small yield. Improvements are now being made in the design of the wells in basalt and in the use of sand or gravel envelopes for wells penetrating the fine-sand aquifers. The ground water in the basalt and the valley fill is in general of good quality, only slightly or moderately hard and of low salinity. Saline and mineralized water is present in the rocks of Tertiary age below the Columbia River basalt. Under certain structural and stratigraphic conditions this water of poor quality contaminates the fresh-water aquifers. Detailed hydrologic and geologic conditions are presented in 5 tables, 7 pictures, and 17 graphic figures and plates.

Aquifers and Their Tectonic Connectivity in Flood Basalts Using AEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, S.; Auken, E.; Sonkamble, S.; Maurya, P. K.; Ahmed, S.; Clausen, O. R.; Verma, S. K.

2016-12-01

Aquifers, the major freshwater storage providing water for human consumption, agriculture, industry and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, are subjected to increasing stress resulting into drying up of large number of wells in major parts of world. The climate change with erratic rainfall pattern and increasing temperature enhances the rate of evapotranspiration causing reduction in groundwater recharge as well as enhancement in the groundwater withdrawal. Not only the wells, but also springs, ponds and non glacial rivers, mostly fed by base flow during non-monsoon periods, also go dry during droughts. Water crisis is very severe in the basaltic and hard rock areas in India where the weathered zone, principal aquifer, has almost dried up and the water is mostly confined within the underlying vesicular and weathered-fractured basalts, and occasionally within green bole beds. The paper presents results from Basaltic hard rock terrains in India based on integrated geophysical surveys including airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and airborne magnetic methods. Due to good resistivity contrasts, AEM results showed strong signatures of multiple basaltic flows, their alterations and associated major intertrappeans. In combination with ground geophysics, geological and borehole information, AEM was found to be very effective in mapping the multiple flows, Gondwana and basaltic interface, and inter- and infra-trappeans (Figure 1). In addition to the basaltic flows, we could map the tectonic groundwater pathways, which is a completely new knowledge. The tectonic pathways connect different aquifers (water saturated vesicular basalt) located in various flows. The results demonstrate that the AEM is very effective for groundwater prospecting in basalts and in delineating suitable recharge zones to create strategic groundwater reserves.

TDEM survey in an area of seismicity induced by water wells in Paraná sedimentary basin, Northern São Paulo State, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porsani, Jorge Luís; Almeida, Emerson Rodrigo; Bortolozo, Cassiano Antonio; Santos, Fernando Acácio Monteiro dos

2012-07-01

This article presents TDEM results from an area with recent induced shallow seismicity. The purpose was to do a geoelectrical mapping of sedimentary and fractured basaltic aquifers for better understanding of the hydrogeologic setting. The study area is in the Paraná basin where flood basalts are overlain by sedimentary units near the city of Bebedouro, northern São Paulo State, Brazil. 86 TDEM soundings were acquired in an area of 90 km2 in the Andes and Botafogo study areas. The soundings were chosen next to wells for calibration, and also along profiles crossing the seismically active areas. 1-D interpretation results showed the general geoelectrical stratigraphy of this part of the Paraná basin. The upper geoelectrical layer is the shallow sedimentary aquifer (Adamantina formation) with less than 80 m thickness. The second geoelectrical layer contains the upper basalts of the Serra Geral formation at about 60-80 m depths. A saturated fractured basalt zone between 100 and 300 m depths was identifiable on various TDEM soundings. This depth range corresponds to the range of hypocentral depths for more than 3000 micro-earthquakes in this area. The lower basalt layer was estimated to lie between 400 and 650 m depth. The deepest geoelectrical layer detected by various TDEM soundings corresponds to the Botucatu sandstone (Guarani aquifer). Results suggest that the high-discharge wells are located in the fractured zone in the middle basalt of the Serra Geral formation. There is a good correlation between seismically active areas, high discharge wells (> 190 m3/h), and fracture zones in the middle basalt. The results reinforce the hypothesis that the shallow seismic activity in the Bebedouro region is being triggered by high rates of groundwater withdrawal.

Hydrogeology and water quality of the shallow aquifer system at the Explosive Experimental Area, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Site, Dahlgren, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bell, C.F.

1996-01-01

In October 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study to characterize the hydrogeology of the shallow aquifer system at the Explosive Experimental Area, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Site, Dahlgren, Virginia, which is located on the Potomac River in the Coastal Plain Physiographic Province. The study provides a description of the hydrogeologic units, directions of ground-water flow, and back-ground water quality in the study area to a depth of about 100 feet. Lithologic, geophysical, and hydrologic data were collected from 28 wells drilled for this study, from 3 existing wells, and from outcrops. The shallow aquifer system at the Explosive Experimental Area consists of two fining-upward sequences of Pleistocene fluvial-estuarine deposits that overlie Paleocene-Eocene marine deposits of the Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit. The surficial hydrogeologic unit is the Columbia aquifer. Horizontal linear flow of water in this aquifer generally responds to the surface topography, discharging to tidal creeks, marshes, and the Potomac River, and rates of flow in this aquifer range from 0.003 to 0.70 foot per day. The Columbia aquifer unconformably overlies the upper confining unit 12-an organic-rich clay that is 0 to 55 feet thick. The upper confining unit conformably overlies the upper confined aquifer, a 0- to 35-feet thick unit that consists of interbedded fine-grained to medium-grained sands and clay. The upper confined aquifer probably receives most of its recharge from the adjacent and underlying Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit. Water in the upper confined aquifer generally flows eastward, northward, and northeastward at about 0.03 foot per day toward the Potomac River and Machodoc Creek. The Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit consists of glauconitic, fossiliferous silty fine-grained sands of the Nanjemoy Formation. Where the upper confined system is absent, the Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit is directly overlain by the Columbia aquifer. In some parts of the Explosive Experimental Area, horizontal hydraulic conductivities of the Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit and the Columbia aquifer are similar (from 10-4 to 10-2 foot per day), and these units effectively combine to form a thick (greater than 50 feet) aquifer. The background water quality of the shallow aquifer system is characteristic of ground waters in the Virginia Coastal Plain Physiographic Province. Water in the Columbia aquifer is a mixed ionic type, has a median pH of 5.9, and a median total dissolved solids of 106 milligrams per liter. Water in the upper confined aquifer and Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit is a sodium- calcium-bicarbonate type, and generally has higher pH, dissolved solids, and alkalinity than water in the Columbia aquifer. Water in the upper confined aquifer and some parts of the Columbia aquifer is anoxic, and it has high concentrations of dissolved iron, manganese, and sulfide.

Hydrogeology, water quality, and saltwater intrusion in the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the offshore area near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and Tybee Island, Georgia, 1999-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Falls, W. Fred; Ransom, Camille; Landmeyer, James E.; Reuber, Eric J.; Edwards, Lucy E.

2005-01-01

To assess the hydrogeology, water quality, and the potential for saltwater intrusion in the offshore Upper Floridan aquifer, a scientific investigation was conducted near Tybee Island, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Four temporary wells were drilled at 7, 8, 10, and 15 miles to the northeast of Tybee Island, and one temporary well was drilled in Calibogue Sound west of Hilton Head Island. The Upper Floridan aquifer at the offshore and Calibogue sites includes the unconsolidated calcareous quartz sand, calcareous quartz sandstone, and sandy limestone of the Oligocene Lazaretto Creek and Tiger Leap Formations, and the limestone of the late Eocene Ocala Limestone and middle Avon Park Formation. At the 7-, 10-, and 15-mile sites, the upper confining unit between the Upper Floridan and surficial aquifers correlates to the Miocene Marks Head Formation. Paleochannel incisions have completely removed the upper confining unit at the Calibogue site and all but a 0.8-foot-thick interval of the confining unit at the 8-mile site, raising concern about the potential for saltwater intrusion through the paleochannel-fill sediments at these two sites. The paleochannel incisions at the Calibogue and 8-mile sites are filled with fine- and coarse-grained sediments, respectively. The hydrogeologic setting and the vertical hydraulic gradients at the 7- and 10-mile sites favored the absence of saltwater intrusion during predevelopment. After decades of onshore water use in Georgia and South Carolina, the 0-foot contour in the regional cone of depression of the Upper Floridan aquifer is estimated to have been at the general location of the 7- and 10-mile sites by the mid-1950s and at or past the 15-mile site by the 1980s. The upward vertical hydraulic gradient reversed, but the presence of more than 17 feet of upper confining unit impeded the downward movement of saltwater from the surficial aquifer to the Upper Floridan aquifer at the 7- and 10-mile sites. At the 10-mile site, the chloride concentration in the Upper Floridan borehole-water sample and the pore-water samples from the Oligocene and Eocene strata support the conclusion of no noticeable modern saltwater intrusion in the Upper Floridan aquifer. The chloride concentration of 370 milligrams per liter in the borehole-water sample at the 7-mile site from the Upper Floridan aquifer at 78 to 135 feet below North American Vertical Datum of 1988 is considerably higher than the chloride concentration of 25 milligrams per liter measured at the 10-mile site. The higher concentration probably is the result of downward leakage of saltwater through the confining unit at the 7-mile site or could reflect downward leakage of saltwater through an even thinner layer of the upper confining unit beneath the paleochannel to the northeast and lateral movement (encroachment) from the paleochannel to the 7-mile site. Carbon-14 concentrations at both sites, however, are low and indicate that most of the water is relict fresh ground water. The hydrogeology at the 15-mile site includes 17 feet of the upper confining unit. The chloride concentration in the Upper Floridan aquifer is 6,800 milligrams per liter. The setting for the Upper Floridan aquifer beneath the 15-mile site is interpreted as a transitional mixing zone between relict freshwater and relict saltwater. At the Calibogue site, 35 feet of fine-grained paleochannel-fill sediments overlies the Oligocene strata of the Upper Floridan aquifer. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of the paleochannel fill at this site is similar to the upper confining unit and effectively replaces the missing upper confining unit. Chloride concentrations and low carbon-14 and tritium concentrations in borehole water from the Upper Floridan aquifer, and low chloride concentrations in pore water from the upper confining unit indicate relict freshwater confined in the Upper Floridan aquifer at the Calibogue site. The coarse-grained paleochannel-f

Hyper-localized carbon mineralization in diffusion-limited basalt fractures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menefee, A. H.; Giammar, D.; Ellis, B. R.

2017-12-01

Basalt formations could enable secure carbon sequestration through mineral trapping. CO2 injection acidifies formation brines and drives dissolution of the host rock, which releases divalent metal cations that combine with dissolved carbonate ions to form stable carbonate minerals. Here, a series of high-pressure flow-through experiments was conducted to evaluate how transport limitations and geochemical gradients drive microscale carbonation reactions in fractured basalts. To isolate advection- and diffusion-controlled zones, surfaces of saw-cut basalt cores were milled to create one primary flow channel adjoined by four dead-end fracture pathways. In the first experiment, a representative basalt brine (6.3 mM NaHCO3) equilibrated with CO2 (100ºC, 10 MPa) was injected at 1 mL/h under 20 MPa confining stress. The second experiment was conducted under the same physical conditions but [NaHCO3] was elevated to 640 mM, and in the third, temperature was also raised to 150ºC. Effluent chemistry was monitored via ICP-MS to infer dissolution trends and calibrate reactive transport models. Reacted cores were characterized using x-ray computed tomography (xCT), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Carbonation occurred in all experiments but increased in experiments with higher alkalinity and higher temperature. At low [NaHCO3], secondary precipitate coatings formed distinct reaction fronts that varied with distance into dead-end fractures. Reactive transport modeling demonstrated that these reactions fronts were due to sharp gradients in pH and dissolved inorganic carbon. Carbonation was restricted to transport-limited vugs and pores between the confined core surfaces and was highly localized on reactive primary mineral grains (e.g. pyroxene) that contributed major divalent cations. Increasing [NaHCO3] by two orders of magnitude significantly enhanced carbonation and promoted Mg and Fe uptake into carbonates. While xCT scans revealed clays filling the advective path, no permeability changes were measured. Our coupled experiment-modeling approach further elucidates the geochemical conditions controlling carbonation reactions and extends unique microstructural observations to implications for long-term CO2 mineralization in basalt reservoirs.

Lunar mare volcanism: Mixing of distinct, mantle source regions with KREEP-like component

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shervais, John W.; Vetter, Scott K.

1993-01-01

Mare basalts comprise less than 1% of the lunar crust, but they constitute our primary source of information on the moon's upper mantle. Compositional variations between mare basalt suites reflect variations in the mineralogical and geochemical composition of the lunar mantle which formed during early lunar differentiation (4.5-4.4 AE). Three broad suites of mare basalt are recognized: very low-Ti (VLT) basalts with TiO2 less than 1 wt%, low-Ti basalts with TiO2 = 2-4 wt%, and high-Ti basalts with TiO2 = 10-14 wt%. Important subgroups include the Apollo 12 ilmenite basalts (TiO2 = 5-6 wt%), aluminous low-Ti mare basalts (TiO2 = 2-4 wt%, Al2O3 = 10-14 wt%), and the newly discovered Very High potassium (VHK) aluminous low-Ti basalts, with K2O = 0.4-1.5 wt%. The mare basalt source region has geochemical characteristics complementary to the highlands crust and is generally thought to consist of mafic cumulates from the magma ocean which formed the felsic crust by feldspar flotation. The progressive enrichment of mare basalts in Fe/Mg, alkalis, and incompatible trace elements in the sequence VLT basalt yields low-Ti basalt yields high-Ti basalt is explained by the remelting of mafic cumulates formed at progressively shallower depths in the evolving magma ocean. This model is also consistent with the observed decrease in compatible element concentrations and the progressive increase in negative Eu anomalies.

A global geochemical model for the evolution of the mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, D. L.

1979-01-01

It is proposed that the upper mantle transition region, 220 to 670 km, is composed of eclogite which has been derived from primitive mantle by about 20 percent partial melting and that this is the source and sink of oceanic crust. The remainder of the upper mantle is garnet peridotite which is the source of continental basalts and hotspot magmas. This region is enriched in incompatible elements by hydrous and CO2 rich metasomatic fluids which have depleted the underlying layers in the L.I.L. elements and L.R.E.E. The volatiles make this a low-velocity, high attenuation, low viscosity region. The eclogite layer is internally heated and its controls the convection pattern in the upper mantle. Plate tectonics is intermittent. The continental thermal anomaly at a depth of 150-220 km triggers kimberlite and carbonatite activity, alkali and flood basalt volcanism, vertical tectonics and continental breakup. Hot spots remain active after the continents leave and build the oceanic islands. Mantle plumes rise from a depth of about 220 km. Midocean ridge basalts rise from the depleted layer below this depth. Material from this layer can also be displaced upwards by subducted oceanic lithosphere to form back-arc basins.

Quantifying glassy and crystalline basalt partitioning in the oceanic crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Rachael; Ménez, Bénédicte

2016-04-01

The upper layers of the oceanic crust are predominately basaltic rock, some of which hosts microbial life. Current studies of microbial life within the ocean crust mainly focus on the sedimentary rock fraction, or those organisms found within glassy basalts while the potential habitability of crystalline basalts are poorly explored. Recently, there has been recognition that microbial life develops within fractures and grain boundaries of crystalline basalts, therefore estimations of total biomass within the oceanic crust may be largely under evaluated. A deeper understanding of the bulk composition and fractionation of rocks within the oceanic crust is required before more accurate estimations of biomass can be made. To augment our understanding of glassy and crystalline basalts within the oceanic crust we created two end-member models describing basalt fractionation: a pillow basalt with massive, or sheet, flows crust and a pillow basalt with sheeted dike crust. Using known measurements of massive flow thickness, dike thickness, chilled margin thickness, pillow lava size, and pillow lava glass thickness, we have calculated the percentage of glassy versus crystalline basalts within the oceanic crust for each model. These models aid our understanding of textural fractionation within the oceanic crust, and can be applied with bioenergetics models to better constrain deep biomass estimates.

Anomalous density and elastic properties of basalt at high pressure: Reevaluating of the effect of melt fraction on seismic velocity in the Earth's crust and upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Alisha N.; Lesher, Charles E.; Jacobsen, Steven D.; Wang, Yanbin

2016-06-01

Independent measurements of the volumetric and elastic properties of Columbia River basalt glass were made up to 5.5 GPa by high-pressure X-ray microtomography and GHz-ultrasonic interferometry, respectively. The Columbia River basalt displays P and S wave velocity minima at 4.5 and 5 GPa, respectively, violating Birch's law. These data constrain the pressure dependence of the density and elastic moduli at high pressure, which cannot be modeled through usual equations of state nor determined by stepwise integrating the bulk sound velocity as is common practice. We propose a systematic variation in compression behavior of silicate glasses that is dependent on the degree of polymerization and arises from the flexibility of the aluminosilicate network. This behavior likely persists into the liquid state for basaltic melts resulting in weak pressure dependence for P wave velocities perhaps to depths of the transition zone. Modeling the effect of partial melt on P wave velocity reductions suggests that melt fraction determined by seismic velocity variations may be significantly overestimated in the crust and upper mantle.

Anomalous density and elastic properties of basalt at high pressure: Reevaluating of the effect of melt fraction on seismic velocity in the Earth's crust and upper mantle

DOE PAGES

Clark, Alisha N.; Lesher, Charles E.; Jacobsen, Steven D.; ...

2016-06-27

Independent measurements of the volumetric and elastic properties of Columbia River basalt glass were made up to 5.5 GPa by high-pressure X-ray microtomography and GHz-ultrasonic interferometry, respectively. The Columbia River basalt displays P and S wave velocity minima at 4.5 and 5 GPa, respectively, violating Birch’s law. These data constrain the pressure dependence of the density and elastic moduli at high pressure, which cannot be modeled through usual equations of state nor determined by stepwise integrating the bulk sound velocity as is common practice. We propose a systematic variation in compression behavior of silicate glasses that is dependent on themore » degree of polymerization and arises from the flexibility of the aluminosilicate network. Likewise, this behavior likely persists into the liquid state for basaltic melts resulting in weak pressure dependence for P wave velocities perhaps to depths of the transition zone. By modeling the effect of partial melt on P wave velocity reductions it is suggested that melt fraction determined by seismic velocity variations may be significantly overestimated in the crust and upper mantle.« less

Probing the atomic structure of basaltic melts generated by partial melting of upper mantle peridotite (KLB-1): Insights from high-resolution solid-state NMR study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, S. Y.; Lee, S. K.

2015-12-01

Probing the structural disorder in multi-component silicate glasses and melts with varying composition is essential to reveal the change of macroscopic properties in natural silicate melts. While a number of NMR studies for the structure of multi-component silicate glasses and melts including basaltic and andesitic glasses have been reported (e.g., Park and Lee, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2012, 80, 125; Park and Lee, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2014, 26, 42), many challenges still remain. The composition of multi-component basaltic melts vary with temperature, pressure, and melt fraction (Kushiro, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 2001, 71, 107). Especially, the eutectic point (the composition of first melt) of nepheline-forsterite-quartz (the simplest model of basaltic melts) moves with pressure from silica-saturated to highly undersaturated and alkaline melts. The composition of basaltic melts generated by partial melting of upper mantle peridotite (KLB-1, the xenolith from Kilbourne Hole) also vary with pressure. In this study we report experimental results for the effects of composition on the atomic structure of Na2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (NMAS) glasses in nepheline (NaAlSiO4)-forsterite (Mg2SiO4)-quartz (SiO2) eutectic composition and basaltic glasses generated by partial melting of upper mantle peridotite (KLB-1) using high-resolution multi-nuclear solid-state NMR. The Al-27 3QMAS (triple quantum magic angle spinning) NMR spectra of NMAS glasses in nepheline-forsterite-quartz eutectic composition show only [4]Al. The Al-27 3QMAS NMR spectra of KLB-1 basaltic glasses show mostly [4]Al and a non-negligible fraction of [5]Al. The fraction of [5]Al, the degree of configurational disorder, increases from 0 at XMgO [MgO/(MgO+Al2O3)]=0.55 to ~3% at XMgO=0.79 in KLB-1 basaltic glasses while only [4]Al are observed in nepheline-forsterite-quartz eutectic composition. The current experimental results provide that the fraction of [5]Al abruptly increases by the effect of composition as well as pressure in natural silicate melts. The changes of the fraction of highly coordinated Al in multi-component silicate glasses and melts with composition can provide insight into the changes of macroscopic properties (e.g., entropy, viscosity, and diffusivity) with varying composition of melt.

Ground-water resources of Camas Prairie, Camas and Elmore Counties, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walton, William Clarence

1962-01-01

Camas Prairie is an eastward-trending intermontane basin along the north flank of the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho. The basin is about 40 miles long and averages about 8 miles wide. It was formed as a structural depression in which a considerable thickness of alluvial and lake deposits accumulated behind basalt flows, which at times blocked the outlet to the east. Intrusive and extrusive rocks of Cretaceous to Quarternary age enclose the basin on the north, west, and east. The enclosing rocks yield small amounts of water to springs and wells from the weathered mantle and fractures. The principal aquifers are sand and gravel in the alluvial fill, and basalt. Water in the shallow deposits is not confined, and the water table generally is less than 10 feet below the surface at most places. Ground water in the deeper deposits occurs chiefly in two horizons that comprise the upper and lower artesian aquifers. Throughout much of the prairie, the pressure is sufficient that water will flow from wells in these aquifers. Recharge to the basin is from direct precipitation and percolation of stream runoff from the bordering mountains. Ground water moves from the higher areas at the base of the encircling mountains toward the center of the basin and the eastern outlet. The artesian aquifers leak by upward percolation through the imperfectly confining beds and help maintain the shallow water table. Basalt, which interfingers with the alluvial deposits, is an important aquifer near the southeast margin of the prairie and at the east end. Annual recharge to the artesian aquifers is estimated to be about 40,000 acre-feet. Discharge from the artesian aquifers is about equally divided between upward leakage to the shallow aquifers and underflow out of the prairie. Most of the underflow discharges into Camas Creek or Magic Reservoir east of the prairie; little of the underflow reaches the Snake River Plain. Wells drilled for irrigation generally yield 500 to 1,200 gallons per minute from the artesian aquifers. Better construction and development methods would result in considerably better yields. Wells drilled in the basalt will yield 2,000 to 3,000 gallons per minute with moderate drawdowns. Computations made using aquifer coefficients, estimated on the basis of data collected during the investigation, suggest that 12,000 acre-feet of ground water might be withdrawn annually. However, the aquifers are limited in areal extent, and productivity of the alluvial aquifers is not great. Consequently heavy development would result in large drawdowns in wells, and there would be much interference between wells. The postulated large withdrawals from wells on the prairie would be supplied in part by a reduction in underflow from the prairie and in part by a decrease in leakage from the artesian aquifers, which in turn would cause a decline in the shallow water table.

Distribution and Origin of Iridium in Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Continental Strata of the Fundy, Deerfield and Hartford Basins, Newark Supergroup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, L. H.; Kyte, F. T.

2015-12-01

To date, elevated Ir levels in continental sediments proximal to the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB) have been reported only from Upper Triassic strata of the Newark and Fundy basins, below the basal extrusive units of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. We report here the first occurrence of elevated Ir above the oldest volcanic units, as well as additional horizons of Ir enrichment from other basins of the Newark Supergroup. In the Fundy Basin (Nova Scotia, Canada), lacustrine sediments of the Scots Bay Member of the McCoy Brook Formation that directly overlie the North Mountain Basalt contain Ir up to 413 pg/g in fish-bearing strata very close to the palynological TJB. Higher in the formation the strata lack significant Ir enrichment. Similarly, sedimentary strata from between flows of North Mount Basalt show no Ir appreciable enrichment. The Deerfield Basin (Massachusetts) extension of the Hartford Basin contains only one CAMP extrusive unit, the Lower Jurassic Deerfield Basalt. Very modest Ir enrichment, up to 90 pg/g, occurs in the Fall River Beds of the Sugarloaf Formation, several meters below the basalt, and up to 70 pg/g in the Turners Falls Formation less than 2 meters above the basalt. The uppermost New Haven Formation (Upper Triassic) at the Silver Ridge locality (Guilford, CT) in the Hartford Basin contains abundant plant debris, but no evidence of elevated Ir. At the Clathopteris locality to the north (Holyoke, MA), potentially correlative strata that are fine grained and rich in plant remains have Ir enriched to 542 pg/g, an order of magnitude higher than in the coarser-grained strata in direct stratigraphic contact. The high-Ir beds also have elevated REEs relative to other Hartford Basin samples, although there is no evidence of HREE enrichment. We consider the basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, widely accepted as the driver of Late Triassic extinctions, as the origin of the elevated Ir levels in the Newark Supergroup.

Submarine basalt from the Revillagigedo Islands region, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, J.G.

1970-01-01

Ocean-floor dredging and submarine photography in the Revillagigedo region off the west coast of Mexico reveal that the dominant exposed rock of the submarine part of the large island-forming volcanoes (Roca Partida and San Benedicto) is a uniform alkali pillow basalt; more siliceous rocks are exposed on the upper, subaerial parts of the volcanoes. Basalts dredged from smaller seamounts along the Clarion fracture zone south of the Revillagigedo Islands are tholeiitic pillow basalts. Pillows of alkali basalts are more vesicular than Hawaiian tholeiitic pillows collected from the same depths. This difference probably reflects a higher original volatile content of the alkali basalts. Manganese-iron oxide nodules common in several dredge hauls generally contain nucleii of rhyolitic pumice or basalt pillow fragments. The pumice floated to its present site from subaerial eruptions, became waterlogged and sank, and was then coated with manganese-iron oxides. The thickness of palagonite rinds on the glassy pillow fragments is proportional to the thickness of manganese-iron oxide layers, and both are a measure of the age of the nodule. Both oldest basalts (10-100 m.y.) and youngest (less than 1 m.y.) are along the Clarion fracture zone, whereas basalts from Roca Partida and San Benedicto volcanoes are of intermediate age. ?? 1970.

Test-well drilling in the upper Satus Creek basin, Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, H.E.

1977-01-01

Two test wells were drilled in the upper Satus Creek basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, using the air-rotary method. At site 1 the well penetrated a young basalt and 175 feet of the Yakima Basalt, and at site 2 the well penetrated the young basalt. The well at site 1 was drilled to a depth of 350 feet. Tests for drawdown and yield indicated a specific capacity of about 11 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The potential yield of this well may be about 1,000 gallons per minute. The well at site 2 was drilled to a depth of 500 feet. Only a small quantity of water was encountered and no test for yield was made. Data from these wells, including chemical analysis of the water from the well at site 1, will provide information useful in the development and management of the ground-water resources in this part of the Yakima Indian Reservation. (Woodard-USGS)

Gigantic self-confined pahoehoe inflated lava flows in Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasquare', G.; Bistacchi, A.

2007-05-01

The largest lava flows on Earth are pahoehoe basalts emplaced by inflation, a process which can change lava lobes initially a few decimetres thick into large lava sheets several metres thick. Inflation involves the initial formation of a thin, solidified, viscoelastic crust, under which liquid lava is continually added. This thermally efficient endogenous growth process explains the spread of huge volumes of lava over large, almost flat areas, as in the sheet flows which characterise the distal portions of Hawaiian volcanoes or some continental flood basalt provinces. Long, narrow, inflated pahoehoe flows have occasionally been described, either emplaced along pre-existing river channels or confined within topographic barriers. In this contribution we present previously unknown inflated pahoehoe lava flows following very long, narrow pathways over an almost flat surface, with no topographic confinement. Lava, which erupted in Late Quaternary times from the eastern tip of a 60 km long volcanic fissure in Argentina, formed several discrete flows extending as far as 180 km from the source. This fissure was characterized by a long-lasting and complex activity. Alkali-basaltic lava flows were emitted at the two extremities of the fissure system. In the intermediate section of the fissure, the Payun Matru, a great trachitic composite volcano, developed, giving rise to a large caldera which produced large pyroclastic flows. Alkali-basalts predate and postdate the trachitic activity, in fact at the end of the trachitic activity, new basaltic lava flows (mainly aa) were emitted from both ends of the fissure. We studied in details the youngest of the gigantic flows (Pampas Onduladas lava flow), which progressively develops through differing thermally-efficient flow mechanisms. The flow created a large shield volcanic structure at the eastern tip of the E-W fissure and spread to the E forming a very large and thick inflated pahoehoe sheet flow. Leaving the flanks of the volcano, the flow spreads all over a large tectonic depression, forming a large inflated pahoehoe sheet flow. The flow continues downstream, always showing typical inflation features, forming a very long and narrow tongue, developed over the nearly flat Pampa plain (gradient 0.5%) with an average width of 3 km and a length of 120 km. A peculiar feature of this portion of the flow, apart from its exceptional length, is the very low width-to-length ratio. This is even more surprising if we consider that no pre-existing topographic feature (e.g. river channel, etc.) is responsible for this behaviour, which appears to be only the result of some kind of self-confinement mechanism. The structural, morphological and eruptive complexities of this volcanic structure are exceptional by themselves since there are no similar features both in the Andes calcalkaline volcanism or in the Patagonian basaltic plateaus and they pose problems even in the nomenclatural definition of the Payun Matru as an individual volcanic construct. Moreover, understanding the mechanisms responsible for the exceptional behaviour of this lava flow may provide new constraints on the physics of inflated pahoehoe flow emplacement. Results in this direction may also offer useful proxies for interpreting volcanic processes on terrestrial planets such as Mars and Venus, on which individual lava flows of similar shape and dimensions have been observed.

Middle Triassic back-arc basalts from the blocks in the Mersin Mélange, southern Turkey: Implications for the geodynamic evolution of the Northern Neotethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayit, Kaan; Bedi, Yavuz; Tekin, U. Kagan; Göncüoglu, M. Cemal; Okuyucu, Cengiz

2017-01-01

The Mersin Mélange is a tectonostratigraphic unit within the allochthonous Mersin Ophiolitic Complex in the Taurides, southern Turkey. This chaotic structure consists of blocks and tectonic slices of diverse origins and ages set in a clastic matrix of Upper Cretaceous age. In this study, we examine two blocks at two different sections characterized by basaltic lava flows alternating with radiolarian-bearing pelagic sediments. The radiolarian assemblage extracted from the mudstone-chert alternation overlying the lavas yields an upper Anisian age (Middle Triassic). The immobile element geochemistry suggests that the lava flows are predominantly characterized by sub-alkaline basalts. All lavas display pronounced negative Nb anomalies largely coupled with normal mid-ocean basalt (N-MORB)-like high field strength element (HFSE) patterns. On the basis of geochemical modelling, the basalts appear to have dominantly derived from spinel-peridotite and pre-depleted spinel-peridotite sources, while some enriched compositions can be explained by contribution of garnet-facies melts from enriched domains. The overall geochemical characteristics suggest generation of these Middle Triassic lavas at an intra-oceanic back-arc basin within the northern branch of Neotethys. This finding is of significant importance, since these rocks may represent the presence of the oldest subduction zone found thus far from the Neotethyan branches. This, in turn, suggests that the rupturing of the Gondwanan lithosphere responsible for the opening of the northern branch of Neotethys should have occurred during the Lower Triassic or earlier.

Magmatic infiltration and melting in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath the Cima volcanic field, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilshire, H.G.; McGuire, A.V.

1996-01-01

Xenoliths of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks from the Cima volcanic field (CVF) commonly contain glass pockets, veins, and planar trains of glass and/or fluid inclusions in primary minerals. Glass pockets occupy spaces formerly occupied by primary minerals of the host rocks, but there is a general lack of correspondence between the composition of the glass and that of the replaced primary minerals. The melting is considered to have been induced by infiltration of basaltic magma and differentiates of basaltic magma from complex conduits formed by hydraulic fracturing of the mantle and crustal rocks, and to have occurred during the episode of CVF magmatism between ???7.5 Ma and present. Variable compositions of quenched melts resulted from mixing of introduced melts and products of melting of primary minerals, reaction with primary minerals, partial crystallization, and fractionation resulting from melt and volatile expulsion upon entrainment of the xenoliths. High silica melts (> ??? 60% SiO2) may result by mixing introduced melts with siliceous melts produced by reaction of orthopyroxene. Other quenched melt compositions range from those comparable to the host basalts to those with intermediate Si compositions and elevated Al, alkalis, Ti, P, and S; groundmass compositions of CVF basalts are consistent with infiltration of fractionates of those basalts, but near-solidus melting may also contribute to formation of glass with intermediate silica contents with infiltration only of volatile constituents.

The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, Scott E.; Peate, Ingrid Ukstins; Peate, David W.; Self, Stephen; Jerram, Dougal A.; Mawby, Michael R.; Marsh, J. S. (Goonie); Miller, Jodie A.

2010-10-01

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are sites of the most frequently recurring, largest volume basaltic and silicic eruptions in Earth history. These large-volume (> 1000 km 3 dense rock equivalent) and large-magnitude (> M8) eruptions produce areally extensive (10 4-10 5 km 2) basaltic lava flow fields and silicic ignimbrites that are the main building blocks of LIPs. Available information on the largest eruptive units are primarily from the Columbia River and Deccan provinces for the dimensions of flood basalt eruptions, and the Paraná-Etendeka and Afro-Arabian provinces for the silicic ignimbrite eruptions. In addition, three large-volume (675-2000 km 3) silicic lava flows have also been mapped out in the Proterozoic Gawler Range province (Australia), an interpreted LIP remnant. Magma volumes of > 1000 km 3 have also been emplaced as high-level basaltic and rhyolitic sills in LIPs. The data sets indicate comparable eruption magnitudes between the basaltic and silicic eruptions, but due to considerable volumes residing as co-ignimbrite ash deposits, the current volume constraints for the silicic ignimbrite eruptions may be considerably underestimated. Magma composition thus appears to be no barrier to the volume of magma emitted during an individual eruption. Despite this general similarity in magnitude, flood basaltic and silicic eruptions are very different in terms of eruption style, duration, intensity, vent configuration, and emplacement style. Flood basaltic eruptions are dominantly effusive and Hawaiian-Strombolian in style, with magma discharge rates of ~ 10 6-10 8 kg s -1 and eruption durations estimated at years to tens of years that emplace dominantly compound pahoehoe lava flow fields. Effusive and fissural eruptions have also emplaced some large-volume silicic lavas, but discharge rates are unknown, and may be up to an order of magnitude greater than those of flood basalt lava eruptions for emplacement to be on realistic time scales (< 10 years). Most silicic eruptions, however, are moderately to highly explosive, producing co-current pyroclastic fountains (rarely Plinian) with discharge rates of 10 9-10 11 kg s -1 that emplace welded to rheomorphic ignimbrites. At present, durations for the large-magnitude silicic eruptions are unconstrained; at discharge rates of 10 9 kg s -1, equivalent to the peak of the 1991 Mt Pinatubo eruption, the largest silicic eruptions would take many months to evacuate > 5000 km 3 of magma. The generally simple deposit structure is more suggestive of short-duration (hours to days) and high intensity (~ 10 11 kg s -1) eruptions, perhaps with hiatuses in some cases. These extreme discharge rates would be facilitated by multiple point, fissure and/or ring fracture venting of magma. Eruption frequencies are much elevated for large-magnitude eruptions of both magma types during LIP-forming episodes. However, in basalt-dominated provinces (continental and ocean basin flood basalt provinces, oceanic plateaus, volcanic rifted margins), large magnitude (> M8) basaltic eruptions have much shorter recurrence intervals of 10 3-10 4 years, whereas similar magnitude silicic eruptions may have recurrence intervals of up to 10 5 years. The Paraná-Etendeka province was the site of at least nine > M8 silicic eruptions over an ~ 1 Myr period at ~ 132 Ma; a similar eruption frequency, although with a fewer number of silicic eruptions is also observed for the Afro-Arabian Province. The huge volumes of basaltic and silicic magma erupted in quick succession during LIP events raises several unresolved issues in terms of locus of magma generation and storage (if any) in the crust prior to eruption, and paths and rates of ascent from magma reservoirs to the surface. Available data indicate four end-member magma petrogenetic pathways in LIPs: 1) flood basalt magmas with primitive, mantle-dominated geochemical signatures (often high-Ti basalt magma types) that were either transferred directly from melting regions in the upper mantle to fissure vents at surface, or resided temporarily in reservoirs in the upper mantle or in mafic underplate thereby preventing extensive crustal contamination or crystallisation; 2) flood basalt magmas (often low-Ti types) that have undergone storage at lower ± upper crustal depths resulting in crustal assimilation, crystallisation, and degassing; 3) generation of high-temperature anhydrous, crystal-poor silicic magmas (e.g., Paraná-Etendeka quartz latites) by large-scale AFC processes involving lower crustal granulite melting and/or basaltic underplate remelting; and 4) rejuvenation of upper-crustal batholiths (mainly near-solidus crystal mush) by shallow intrusion and underplating by mafic magma providing thermal and volatile input to produce large volumes of crystal-rich (30-50%) dacitic to rhyolitic magma and for ignimbrite-producing eruptions, well-defined calderas up to 80 km diameter (e.g., Fish Canyon Tuff model), and which characterise of some silicic eruptions in silicic LIPs.

Geologic map of the Simcoe Mountains Volcanic Field, main central segment, Yakama Nation, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy

2015-01-01

Lava compositions other than various types of basalt are uncommon here. Andesite is abundant on and around Mount Adams but is very rare east of the Klickitat River. The only important nonbasaltic composition in the map area is rhyolite, which crops out in several patches around the central highland of the volcanic field, mainly in the upper canyons of Satus and Kusshi Creeks and Wilson Charley canyon. Because the rhyolites were some of the earliest lavas erupted here, they are widely concealed by later basalts and therefore crop out only in local windows eroded by canyons that cut through the overlying basalts.

Mantle discontinuities mapped by inversion of global surface wave data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, A.; Boschi, L.; Connolly, J.

2009-12-01

We invert global observations of fundamental and higher order Love and Rayleigh surface-wave dispersion data jointly at selected locations for 1D radial profiles of Earth's mantle composition, thermal state and anisotropic structure using a stochastic sampling algorithm. Considering mantle compositions as equilibrium assemblages of basalt and harzburgite, we employ a self-consistent thermodynamic method to compute their phase equilibria and bulk physical properties (P, S wave velocity and density). Combining these with locally varying anisotropy profiles, we determine anisotropic P and S wave velocities to calculate dispersion curves for comparison with observations. Models fitting data within uncertainties, provide us with a range of profiles of composition, temperature and anisotropy. This methodology presents an important complement to conventional seismic tomograpy methods. Our results indicate radial and lateral gradients in basalt fraction, with basalt depletion in the upper and enrichment of the upper part of the lower mantle, in agreement with results from geodynamical calculations, melting processes at mid-ocean ridges and subduction of chemically stratified lithosphere. Compared with PREM and seismic tomography models, our velocity models are generally faster in the upper transition zone (TZ), and slower in the lower TZ, implying a steeper velocity gradient. While less dense than PREM, density gradients in the TZ are also steeper. Mantle geotherms are generally adiabatic in the TZ, whereas in the upper part of the lower mantle stronger lateral variations are observed. The TZ structure, and thus location of the phase transitions in the Olivine system as well as their physical properties, are found to be controlled to a large degree by thermal rather than compositional variations. The retrieved anistropy structure agrees with previous studies indicating positive as well as laterally varying upper mantle anisotropy, while there is little evidence for anisotropy in and below the TZ.

On mantle chemical and thermal heterogeneities and anisotropy as mapped by inversion of global surface wave data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, A.; Boschi, L.; Connolly, J. A. D.

2009-09-01

We invert global observations of fundamental and higher-order Love and Rayleigh surface wave dispersion data jointly at selected locations for 1-D radial profiles of Earth's mantle composition, thermal state, and anisotropic structure using a stochastic sampling algorithm. Considering mantle compositions as equilibrium assemblages of basalt and harzburgite, we employ a self-consistent thermodynamic method to compute their phase equilibria and bulk physical properties (P, S wave velocity and density). Combining these with locally varying anisotropy profiles, we determine anisotropic P and S wave velocities to calculate dispersion curves for comparison with observations. Models fitting data within uncertainties provide us with a range of profiles of composition, temperature, and anisotropy. This methodology presents an important complement to conventional seismic tomography methods. Our results indicate radial and lateral gradients in basalt fraction, with basalt depletion in the upper and enrichment of the upper part of the lower mantle, in agreement with results from geodynamical calculations, melting processes at mid-ocean ridges, and subduction of chemically stratified lithosphere. Compared with preliminary reference Earth model (PREM) and seismic tomography models, our velocity models are generally faster in the upper transition zone (TZ) and slower in the lower TZ, implying a steeper velocity gradient. While less dense than PREM, density gradients in the TZ are also steeper. Mantle geotherms are generally adiabatic in the TZ, whereas in the upper part of the lower mantle, stronger lateral variations are observed. The retrieved anisotropy structure agrees with previous studies indicating positive as well as laterally varying upper mantle anisotropy, while there is little evidence for anisotropy in and below the TZ.

Mixing and mingling in Iceland: The origin of a diverse suite of Tertiary lavas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, B. T.

2006-12-01

A sequence of intermediate and silicic volcanic units occurs within a stratigraphic package dominated by moderately evolved tholeiitic basalts in the mountains Laxardalsfjoll and Langadalsfjall in the southern Skagi Peninsula of north-central Iceland. This sequence consists of several minor rhyolite and dacite lavas directly overlain by a voluminous (>3 km3) litholigically diverse andesite to rhyolite lava flow Above this flow is a basaltic andesite to dacite lava, or lavas (mapping not complete), and the sequence is capped by an extensive rhyolite lava. Pyroclastic deposits, including one welded tuff, occur within the sequence. The sequence was erupted at 7.8 Ma, not long before the abandonment of the Skagi-Snaefellsnes rift zone in which it was erupted. The rhyolite lavas are generally aphyric. The lower rhyolites are of variable composition (71-75% SiO2) and the upper is a high-silica rhyolite (75-76% SiO2). The lower dacite and upper basaltic andesite to dacite lava(s) are aphyric and plot on a linear mixing trend between well defined end-members, a moderately evolved basalt and a high-silica rhyolite. The most anomalous unit is the andesite-rhyolite lava. It is lithologically heterogeneous with <<1% to 20% coarse (up to 3 cm) nearly equant plagioclase phenocrysts. Lithologies commonly vary across sharp borders within the flow, with domains of different lithologies being up to 10s of m in extent. The coarse plagioclase phenocrysts are calcic, up to An87 indicating an origin in basaltic magma. The whole rock composition varies from andesite (58% SiO2) to rhyolite (70% SiO2). Silica content is inversely correlated with phenocryst abundance, but can not be explained by phenocrysts alone. A wide range of mixing and mingling textures are observed at mesoscopic and microscopic scales. Major and trace element variations are quite distinct from the other mixed unit and indicate that the end members of mixing are a plagioclase-rich basalt and a range of silicic compositions from dacite to low-silica rhyolite. A candidate for the mafic end member of mixing is a plagioclase-ultraphyric basalt mapped in Vatnsdalsfjall (~10 km away). It has similar coarse equant plagioclase phenocrysts (up to 35%), with identical An-contents and distinctive patterns of inclusions. I propose that a dike that fed this lava also propagated at depth into a zoned dacite-rhyolite magma chamber, similar to the AD 1480 propagation of the Veidivotn fissure into the Torfajokull caldera. This triggered a large eruption from the zone of mingling/mixing, followed by a significant eruption from the evolved upper portion of the magma chamber. The diverse underlying small-volume rhyolites had been the normal products erupted from the zoned silicic magma chamber. The origin of the second, basaltic andesite to dacite, mixing trend is equivocal. The lavas constituting this trend occur immediately below and above the porphyritic lava suggesting that mixing between normal tholeiite and high-silica rhyolite magmas was ongoing in the upper part of the magma chamber at the time of the main eruption.

Volcanic Stratigraphy of the Quaternary Rhyolite Plateau in Yellowstone National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, Robert L.; Blank, H. Richard

1972-01-01

The volcanic sequence of the Quaternary Yellowstone plateau consists of rhyolites and basalts representing three volcanic cycles. The major events of each cycle were eruption of a voluminous ash-flow sheet and formation of a large collapse caldera. Lesser events of each cycle were eruption of precaldera and postcaldera rhyolitic lava flows and marginal basaltic lavas. The three major ash-flow sheets are named and designated in this report as formations within the Yellowstone Group. The lavas are assigned to newly named formations organized around the three ash-flow sheets of the Yellowstone Group to represent the volcanic cycles. Rocks of the first volcanic cycle comprise the precaldera Junction Butte Basalt and rhyolite of Broad Creek; the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff of the Yellowstone Group; and the postcaldera Lewis Canyon Rhyolite and basalt of The Narrows. Rocks of the second volcanic cycle do not crop out within Yellowstone National Park, and only the major unit, the Mesa Falls Tuff of the Yellowstone Group, is named here. The third volcanic cycle is represented by the precaldera Mount Jackson Rhyolite and Undine Falls Basalt; the Lava Creek Tuff of the Yellowstone Group; and the postcaldera Plateau Rhyolite and five post-Lava Creek basaltic sequences. Collapse to form the compound and resurgent Yellowstone caldera was related to eruption of the Lava Creek Tuff. The Plateau Rhyolite is divided into six members - the Mallard Lake, Upper Basin, Obsidian Creek, Central Plateau, Shoshone Lake Tuff, and Roaring Mountain Members; all but the Mallard Lake postdate resurgent doming of the caldera. The basalts are divided into the Swan Lake Flat Basalt, Falls River Basalt, basalt of Mariposa Lake, Madison River Basalt, and Osprey Basalt. Sediments are intercalated in the volcanic section below the Huckleberry Ridge and Mesa Falls Tuffs and within the Junction Butte Basalt, sediments and basalts of The Narrows, Undine Falls Basalt, Plateau Rhyolite, and Osprey Basalt.

The effect of a confining unit on the geochemical evolution of ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wicks, C.M.; Herman, J.S.

1994-01-01

In west-central Florida, sections of the Upper Floridan aquifer system range in character from confined to leaky to unconfined. The confining unit is the Hawthorn Formation, a clay-rich sequence. The presence or absence of the Hawthorn Formation affects the geochemical evolution of the ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer system. Mass-balance and mass-transfer models suggest that, in unconfined areas, the geochemical reactions are dolomite dissolution, ion exchange (Mg for Na, K), sulfate reduction, calcite dissolution, and CO2 exchange. In the areas in which the Hawthorn Formation is leaky, the evolution of the ground water is accounted for by ion exchange, sulfate reduction, calcite dissolution, and CO2 exchange. In the confined areas, no ion exchange and only limited sulfate reduction occur, and the chemical character of the ground water is consistent with dolomite and gypsum dissolution, calcite precipitation, and CO2 ingassing. The Hawthorn Formation acts both as a physical barrier to the transport of CO2 and organic matter and as a source of ion-exchange sites, but the carbonate-mineral reactions are largely unaffected by the extent of confinement of the Upper Floridan aquifer. ?? 1994.

Evolution of the Craters of the Moon Lavas from primitive Snake River Plain basalts: inferences from plagioclase-melt thermobarometers and whole rock compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaid, N.; Putirka, K.; Kuntz, M.

2005-12-01

The volcanic rocks of the Craters of the Mon Lava field provide an ideal laboratory for testing models of magma transport and evolution. Their compositions, relative ages and volumes are well known, as are the fractionation processes leading to their evolution (Leeman, 1976). The COM is somewhat distinctive in the Snake River Plain (SRP) region, due to its evolved character, and an apparent compositional segregation from associated SRP basalts. Some have suggested that the high Fe liquids of the COM demand an origin separate from that of SRP basalts, possibly involving an Fe-enriched mantle, while others have suggested that the COM lavas may be derived by fractionation at moderate depths (30 km). In either case, there are important implications in regard to mantle composition and the nature and distribution of thermal energy. We use plagioclase-melt pairs and an analysis of whole rock compositions in attempt to test models of COM magmatic evolution. Plagioclase-melt thermobarometers provide rough estimates of crystallization depths, and show that COM and SRP lavas partially crystallized at similar depths of 14 +/- 6 km. However, plagioclase crystallization temperatures for SRP basalts (1400 +/- 25 K; Kings Bowl, Cerro Grande, North and South Robbers) exceed temperatures for COM lavas (1358 +/- 45 K) by 40 K. Our data also show that fractional crystallization (ol + plag) can explain the evolution of surrounding SRP basalt flows, and that the most evolved SRP basalts approach primitive COM lava compositions. The most primitive of COM magmas appear to be characterized by the appearance of apatite + magnetite as fractionating phases. Our results thus confirm the geochemical model of Leeman (1976) and the physical model of Kuntz (1992), with the added insight that SRP basalts are parental to the more evolved COM lavas, through low-pressure fractional crystallization in the upper crust. The principal differences between SRP and COM magmas appear to relate more to the presence or absence of density contrasts in the crust than differences in composition or temperature of mantle source materials. SRP basalts lie near the axis of the SRP where the granitic upper crust may have been obliterated by earlier volcanic episodes. In contrast, COM lavas, whose vents lie off axis, appear to have been trapped within the upper crust for longer periods, sufficient for further differentiation. Finally, SRP rhyolite compositions lie on the same fractionation trend as COM and SRP lavas, at very low values of MgO. We propose that highly evolved lavas throughout the SRP may form by fractional crystallization mechanisms alone, rather than through the partial melting and remobilization of preexisting felsic crustal materials.

Prokaryotic diversity, distribution, and insights into their role in biogeochemical cycling in marine basalts and gabbros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, O. U.; di Meo-Savoie, C. A.; Nakagawa, T.; van Nostrand, J. D.; Rosner, M.; Maruyama, A.; Zhou, J.; Fisk, M. R.; Giovannoni, S. J.

2008-12-01

Oceanic crust covers nearly 70% of the Earth's surface, of which, the upper, sediment layer is estimated to harbor substantial microbial biomass. Marine crust, however, extends several kilometers beyond this surficial layer, and includes the basalt and gabbro layers. The microbial diversity in basalts is well characterized, yet metabolic diversity is unknown. To date, the microflora associated with gabbros, including microbial and metabolic diversity has not been reported. In our analyses basaltic and gabbroic endoliths were analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, cloning and sequencing, and microarray analysis of functional genes. Our results suggest that despite nearly identical chemical compositions of basalt and gabbro the associated microflora did not overlap. Basalt samples harbor a surprising diversity of seemingly cosmopolitan microorganisms, some of which appear to be basalt specialists. Conversely, gabbros have a low diversity of endoliths, none of which appear to be specifically adapted to the gabbroic environment. Microarray analysis (GeoChip) was used to assay for functional gene diversity in basalts and gabbros. In basalt genes coding for previously unreported processes such as carbon fixation, methane-oxidation, methanogenesis, and nitrogen fixation were present, suggesting that basalts harbor previously unrecognized metabolic diversity. Similar processes were observed in gabbroic samples, yet metabolic inference from phylogenetic relationships of gabbroic endoliths with other microorganisms, suggests that hydrocarbon oxidation is the prevailing metabolism in this environment. Our analyses revealed that the basalt and gabbro layers harbor microorganisms with the genetic potential to significantly impact biogeochemical cycling in the lithosphere and overlying hydrosphere.

Drilling constraints on bimodal volcanism and subsequent formation of contrasted uppermost crustal compositions at the middle Okinawa Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamasaki, T.; Takaya, Y.; Mukae, N.; Nagase, T.; Tindell, T.; Totsuka, S.; Uno, Y.; Yonezu, K.; Nozaki, T.; Ishibashi, J. I.; Kumagai, H.; Maeda, L.; Shipboard Scientist, C.

2016-12-01

The Okinawa Trough (OT) is a young and actively spreading back-arc basin, extending behind the Ryukyu arc-trench system in the southeastern margin of the East China Sea. The OT is believed to be in an initial rifting stage (starting from 6-9 Ma), prior to the normal/stable seafloor spreading which constitutes the main stage of back-arc basin formation. Two drilling cruises ‒ the IODP Exp. 331 and SIP CK14-04 D/V Chikyu Cruise (Exp. 907) in 2010 and 2014 ‒ were conducted at the Iheya North Knoll, middle OT. The Iheya North Knoll is a domal volcanic complex consisting of small volcanic bodies. On these cruises, pumiceous gravel and altered rhyolitic rocks, as well as hemi-pelagic sediments, hydrothermal clay and Kuroko-type ores, were recovered from the upper 200 m of the crust. From Feb. 11, 2016 to Mar. 17, 2016, the SIP CK16-01 (Exp. 908) D/V Chikyu cruise was conducted at Iheya North Knoll and the sediment-covered rifting center of the Iheya-Minor Ridge area, middle OT. The Iheya-Minor ridge area is also an active hydrothermal field, located 25 km southeast of the Iheya North Knoll. In this area, basaltic rocks are widely distributed, and drilling has confirmed that the basaltic materials continue to 120 m below the seafloor. From an igneous petrological point of view, the volcanic rocks in the Okinawa Trough are characterized by bimodal basaltic and rhyolitic compositions, with a compositional gap between SiO2 = 56-66 wt%. The origin of the rhyolitic rock has been interpreted as magmatic differentiation of basaltic magma. However, the existence of an active basalt-hosted hydrothermal field in the Iheya-Minor ridge area suggests the presence of hot basaltic rocks at a shallow position in the crust, and reaching recharged seawater at this depth. Furthermore, the composition of felsic rocks just after the compositional gap (SiO2 = 67 wt%) is very similar to that of the minimum melt of a granitic system, and experimental partial melt of hydrous basalt. Therefore, the contrast in the uppermost crustal composition between very close ( 25 km) areas can reasonably be explained by re-melting of hydrothermally-altered basaltic rocks and production of felsic magma at the upper crustal level, and direct eruption of basaltic magma at the seafloor.

Volcanic diapirs in the Orange Mountain flood basalt: New Jersey, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puffer, John H.; Laskowich, Chris

2012-09-01

Diapir-shaped structures, 4-30 m high, consisting of vesicular basalt have intruded into the interior of a 50-70 m-thick subaerial Orange Mountain Basalt flow exposed at several rock quarries in northern New Jersey. The basalt flowed onto a travertine encrusted mudflat saturated with alkali salts. We propose that pressurized alkali vapors trapped under the lava created a vesicular and viscous flow bottom layer about 10 m thick. Vesicle coalescence within this layer increased its buoyancy where it locally accumulated into diapirs and displaced overlying lava. Large bubbles within the diapirs expanded upon intrusion into hot flow interiors where they explosively escaped leaving lenses of breccia. Some early diapirs reached the base of the upper lava crust. These diapirs document vapor driven convection of large blobs of contaminated lava into the lava core of the Orange Mountain flow.

Paleogeothermal record of the Emeishan mantle plume: evidences from borehole Ro data in the Sichuan basin, SW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, S.

2013-12-01

The Emeishan basalt province located in the southwest of China is widely accepted to be a result of the eruption of a mantle plume at the time of middle-late Permian. If it was a mantle plume, the ambient sedimentary rocks must be heated up during the development of the mantle plume and this thermal effect must be recorded by some geothermometers in the country rocks. The vitrinite reflectance (Ro) data as a maximum paleotemperature recorder from boreholes in Sichuan basin was employed to expose the thermal regime related to the proposed Emeishan mantle plume. The Ro profiles from boreholes which drilled close to the Emeishan basalts shows a ';dog-leg' (break) style at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, and the Ro profiles in the lower subsection (pre-middle Permian) shows a significantly higher slopes (gradients) than those in the upper subsection. In contrast, those Ro profiles from boreholes far away from the center of the basalt province have no break at the uncomformity. Based on the chemical kinetic model of Ro, the paleo-temperature gradients for the upper and the lower subsections in different boreholes, as well as the erosion at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, were reconstructed to reveal the variations of the temperature gradients and erosion thickness with geological time and space. Both the thermal regime and the erosion thickness together with their spatial variation (structure) provide strong geothermal evidence for the existence of the Emeishan mantle plume in the middle-late Permian.

Cumulate xenoliths from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles Island Arc: a window into upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tollan, P. M. E.; Bindeman, I.; Blundy, J. D.

2012-02-01

In order to shed light on upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basaltic magmas in a subduction zone setting, we have determined the mineral chemistry and oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of individual cumulus minerals in plutonic blocks from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. Plutonic rock types display great variation in mineralogy, from olivine-gabbros to troctolites and hornblendites, with a corresponding variety of cumulate textures. Mineral compositions differ from those in erupted basaltic lavas from St. Vincent and in published high-pressure (4-10 kb) experimental run products of a St. Vincent high-Mg basalt in having higher An plagioclase coexisting with lower Fo olivine. The oxygen isotope compositions (δ18O) of cumulus olivine (4.89-5.18‰), plagioclase (5.84-6.28‰), clinopyroxene (5.17-5.47‰) and hornblende (5.48-5.61‰) and hydrogen isotope composition of hornblende (δD = -35.5 to -49.9‰) are all consistent with closed system magmatic differentiation of a mantle-derived basaltic melt. We employed a number of modelling exercises to constrain the origin of the chemical and isotopic compositions reported. δ18OOlivine is up to 0.2‰ higher than modelled values for closed system fractional crystallisation of a primary melt. We attribute this to isotopic disequilibria between cumulus minerals crystallising at different temperatures, with equilibration retarded by slow oxygen diffusion in olivine during prolonged crustal storage. We used melt inclusion and plagioclase compositions to determine parental magmatic water contents (water saturated, 4.6 ± 0.5 wt% H2O) and crystallisation pressures (173 ± 50 MPa). Applying these values to previously reported basaltic and basaltic andesite lava compositions, we can reproduce the cumulus plagioclase and olivine compositions and their associated trend. We conclude that differentiation of primitive hydrous basalts on St. Vincent involves crystallisation of olivine and Cr-rich spinel at depth within the crust, lowering MgO and Cr2O3 and raising Al2O3 and CaO of residual melt due to suppression of plagioclase. Low density, hydrous basaltic and basaltic andesite melts then ascend rapidly through the crust, stalling at shallow depth upon water saturation where crystallisation of the chemically distinct cumulus phases observed in this study can occur. Deposited crystals armour the shallow magma chamber where oxygen isotope equilibration between minerals is slowly approached, before remobilisation and entrainment by later injections of magma.

Validation of the BASALT model for simulating off-axis hydrothermal circulation in oceanic crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahat, Navah X.; Archer, David; Abbot, Dorian S.

2017-08-01

Fluid recharge and discharge between the deep ocean and the porous upper layer of off-axis oceanic crust tends to concentrate in small volumes of rock, such as seamounts and fractures, that are unimpeded by low-permeability sediments. Basement structure, sediment burial, heat flow, and other regional characteristics of off-axis hydrothermal systems appear to produce considerable diversity of circulation behaviors. Circulation of seawater and seawater-derived fluids controls the extent of fluid-rock interaction, resulting in significant geochemical impacts. However, the primary regional characteristics that control how seawater is distributed within upper oceanic crust are still poorly understood. In this paper we present the details of the two-dimensional (2-D) BASALT (Basement Activity Simulated At Low Temperatures) numerical model of heat and fluid transport in an off-axis hydrothermal system. This model is designed to simulate a wide range of conditions in order to explore the dominant controls on circulation. We validate the BASALT model's ability to reproduce observations by configuring it to represent a thoroughly studied transect of the Juan de Fuca Ridge eastern flank. The results demonstrate that including series of narrow, ridge-parallel fractures as subgrid features produces a realistic circulation scenario at the validation site. In future projects, a full reactive transport version of the validated BASALT model will be used to explore geochemical fluxes in a variety of off-axis hydrothermal environments.

Lithospheric evolution of the Northern Arabian Shield: Chemical and isotopic evidence from basalts, xenoliths and granites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, M.

1988-01-01

The evolution of the upper-mantle and the lower-crust (the conteinental lithosphere), is the area of Israel and Sinai was studied, using the chemical composition and the Nd-Sr isotopic systematics from mantle and crustal nodules, their host basalts, and granites. The magmatism and the metasomatism making the lithosphere are related to uprise of mantle diapirs in the uppermost mantle of the area. These diapirs heated the base of the lithosphere, eroded, and replaced it with new hot material. It caused a domal uplift of the lithosphere (and the crust). The doming resulted in tensional stresses that in turn might develop transport channels for the basalt.

A Brillouin scattering study of hydrous basaltic glasses: the effect of H2O on their elastic behavior and implications for the densities of basaltic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Lei; Yang, De-Bin; Liu, Jun-Xiu; Hu, Bo; Xie, Hong-Sen; Li, Fang-Fei; Yu, Yang; Xu, Wen-Liang; Gao, Chun-Xiao

2017-06-01

Hydrous basalt glasses with water contents of 0-6.82% were synthesized using a multi-anvil press at 1.0-2.0 GPa and 1200-1400 °C. The starting materials were natural Mesozoic basalts from the eastern North China Craton (NCC). Their sound velocities and elastic properties were measured by Brillouin scattering spectroscopy. The longitudinal ( V P) and shear ( V S) wave velocities decreased with increasing water content. Increasing the synthesis pressure resulted in the glass becoming denser, and finally led to an increase in V P. As the degree of depolymerization increased, the V P, V S, and shear and bulk moduli of the hydrous basalt glasses decreased, whereas the adiabatic compressibility increased. The partial molar volumes of water (ν) under ambient conditions were independent of composition, having values of 11.6 ± 0.8, 10.9 ± 0.6 and 11.5 ± 0.5 cm3/mol for the FX (Feixian), FW (Fuxin), and SHT (Sihetun) basalt glasses, respectively. However, the {{V}_{{{{H}}_{{2}}}{O}}} values measured at elevated temperatures and pressures are increasing with increasing temperature or decreasing pressure. The contrasting densities of these hydrous basalt melts with those previously reported for mid-ocean ridge basalt and preliminary reference Earth model data indicate that hydrous basalt melts may not maintain gravitational stability at the base of the upper mantle.

Geochemistry and stratigraphic correlation of basalt lavas beneath the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, M.F.; Bartholomay, R.C.; Hughes, S.S.

1997-01-01

Thirty-nine samples of basaltic core were collected from wells 121 and 123, located approximately 1.8 km apart north and south of the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Samples were collected from depths ranging from 15 to 221 m below land surface for the purpose of establishing stratigraphic correlations between these two wells. Elemental analyses indicate that the basalts consist of three principal chemical types. Two of these types are each represented by a single basalt flow in each well. The third chemical type is represented by many basalt flows and includes a broad range of chemical compositions that is distinguished from the other two types. Basalt flows within the third type were identified by hierarchical K-cluster analysis of 14 representative elements: Fe, Ca, K, Na, Sc, Co, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Hf, Ta, and Th. Cluster analyses indicate correlations of basalt flows between wells 121 and 123 at depths of approximately 38-40 m, 125-128 m, 131-137 m, 149-158 m, and 183-198 m. Probable correlations also are indicated for at least seven other depth intervals. Basalt flows in several depth intervals do not correlate on the basis of chemical compositions, thus reflecting possible flow margins in the sequence between the wells. Multi-element chemical data provide a useful method for determining stratigraphic correlations of basalt in the upper 1-2 km of the eastern Snake River Plain.

40Ar 39Ar age constraints on neogene sedimentary beds, Upper Ramparts, half-way Pillar and Canyon village sites, Porcupine river, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunk, Michael J.; Rieck, H.; Fouch, T.D.; Carter, L.D.

1994-01-01

40Ar 39Ar ages of volcanic rocks are used to provide numerical constraints on the age of middle and upper Miocene sedimentary strata collected along the Porcupine River. Intercalated sedimentary rocks north of latitude 67??10???N in the Porcupine terrane of east-central Alaska contain a rich record of plant fossils. The fossils are valuable indicators of this interior region's paleoclimate during the time of their deposition. Integration of the 40Ar 39Ar results with paleomagnetic and sedimentological data allows for refinements in estimating the timing of deposition and duration of selected sedimentary intervals. 40Ar 39Ar plateau age spectra, from whole rock basalt samples, collected along the Upper Ramparts and near Half-way Pillar on the Porcupine River, range from 15.7 ?? 0.1 Ma at site 90-6 to 14.4 ?? 0.1 Ma at site 90-2. With exception of the youngest basalt flow at site 90-2, all of the samples are of reversed magnetic polarity, and all 40Ar 39Ar age spectrum results are consistent with the deposition of the entire stratigraphic section during a single interval of reversed magnetic polarity. The youngest flow at site 90-2 was emplaced during an interval of normal polarity. With age, paleomagnetic and sedimentological data, the ages of the Middle Miocene sedimentary rocks between the basalt flows at sites 90-1 and 90-2 can be assigned to an interval within the limits of analytical precision of 15.2 ?? 0.1 Ma; thus, the sediments were deposited during the peak of the Middle Miocene thermal maximum. Sediments in the upper parts of sites 90-1 and 90-2 were probably deposited during cooling from the Middle Miocene thermal maximum. 40Ar 39Ar results of plagioclase and biotite from a single tephra, collected at sites 90-7 and 90-8 along the Canyon Village section of the Porcupine River, indicate an age of 6.57 ?? 0.02 Ma for its time of eruption and deposition. These results, together with sedimentological and paleomagnetic data, suggest that all of the Upper Miocene lacustrine sedimentary rocks at these sites were deposited during a single interval of reversed magnetic polarity and may represent a duration of only about 40,000 years. The age of this tephra corresponds with a late late Miocene warm climatic interval. The results from the Upper Ramparts and Half-way Pillar sites are used to estimate a minimum interval of continental flood basalt activity of 1.1-1.5 million years, and to set limits for the timing and duration of Tertiary extensional tectonic activity in the Porcupine terrane. Our data indicate that the oroclinal flexure that formed before the deposition of the basalts at the eastern end of the Brooks Range was created prior to 15.7 ?? 0.1 Ma. ?? 1994.

Deep mantle cycling of oceanic crust: evidence from diamonds and their mineral inclusions.

PubMed

Walter, M J; Kohn, S C; Araujo, D; Bulanova, G P; Smith, C B; Gaillou, E; Wang, J; Steele, A; Shirey, S B

2011-10-07

A primary consequence of plate tectonics is that basaltic oceanic crust subducts with lithospheric slabs into the mantle. Seismological studies extend this process to the lower mantle, and geochemical observations indicate return of oceanic crust to the upper mantle in plumes. There has been no direct petrologic evidence, however, of the return of subducted oceanic crustal components from the lower mantle. We analyzed superdeep diamonds from Juina-5 kimberlite, Brazil, which host inclusions with compositions comprising the entire phase assemblage expected to crystallize from basalt under lower-mantle conditions. The inclusion mineralogies require exhumation from the lower to upper mantle. Because the diamond hosts have carbon isotope signatures consistent with surface-derived carbon, we conclude that the deep carbon cycle extends into the lower mantle.

Reconsidering Volcanic Ocean Island Hydrology: Recent Geophysical and Drilling Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, D. M.; Pierce, H. A.; Lautze, N. C.

2017-12-01

Recent results of geophysical surveys and exploratory drilling in Hawaii have suggested that Hawaii's hydrogeology may be more complex than has been generally recognized. Instead of a more-or-less homogeneous pile of highly permeable eruptive basalts that are intermittently punctuated by volcanic dikes confined to calderas and rift zones, we are finding that dike compartmentalization is occurring outside of recognized rift zones, leading to significantly higher volumes of stored groundwater within the island. Analysis of recent geophysical surveys have shown local water table elevations that are substantially higher than can be accounted for by the high hydraulic conductivities of Hawaiian basalts. Recent diamond wireline drilling results have also shown that sub-horizontal variations in permeability, associated with significant changes in eruptive character (e.g. explosive vs effusive activity) are acting as significant perching and confining bodies over significant aerial extents and suggest that these features also contribute to increased storage of recharge. Not only is storage much higher than previously assumed, these features appear to impact subsurface groundwater flow in ways that are not accounted for in traditional methods of computing sustainable yields for near shore aquifers: where buried confining formations extend to depths well below sea level, higher elevation recharge is being intercepted and diverted to deep submarine groundwater discharge well below depths that are typically investigated or quantified. We will provide a summary of the recent geophysical survey results along with a revised conceptual model for groundwater circulation within volcanic ocean islands.

Preliminary Hydrogeologic Characterization Results from the Wallula Basalt Pilot Study

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

B.P. McGrail; E. C. Sullivan; F. A. Spane

2009-12-01

The DOE's Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership has completed drilling the first continental flood basalt sequestration pilot borehole to a total depth (TD) of 4,110 feet on the Boise White Paper Mill property at Wallula, Washington. Site suitability was assessed prior to drilling by the 2007-2008 acquisition, processing and analysis of a four-mile, five-line three component seismic swath, which was processed as a single data-dense line. Analysis of the seismic survey data indicated a composite basalt formation thickness of {approx}8,000 feet and absence of major geologic structures (i.e., faults) along the line imaged by the seismic swath. Drilling ofmore » Wallula pilot borehole was initiated on January 13, 2009 and reached TD on April 6, 2009. Based on characterization results obtained during drilling, three basalt breccia zones were identified between the depth interval of 2,716 and 2,910 feet, as being suitable injection reservoir for a subsequent CO2 injection pilot study. The targeted injection reservoir lies stratigraphically below the massive Umtanum Member of the Grande Ronde Basalt, whose flow-interior section possesses regionally recognized low-permeability characteristics. The identified composite injection zone reservoir provides a unique and attractive opportunity to scientifically study the reservoir behavior of three inter-connected reservoir intervals below primary and secondary caprock confining zones. Drill cuttings, wireline geophysical logs, and 31one-inch diameter rotary sidewall cores provided geologic data for characterization of rock properties. XRF analyses of selected rock samples provided geochemical characterizations of the rocks and stratigraphic control for the basalt flows encountered by the Wallula pilot borehole. Based on the geochemical results, the pilot borehole was terminated in the Wapshilla Ridge 1 flow of the Grande Ronde Basalt Formation. Detailed hydrologic test characterizations of 12 basalt interflow reservoir zones and 3 flow-interior/caprock intervals were performed during drilling and immediately following reaching the final borehole drilling depth (i.e., 4,110 ft). In addition, six of the 12 basalt interflow zones were selected for detailed hydrochemical characterization. Results from the detailed hydrologic test characterization program provided the primary information on basalt interflow zone transmissivity/injectivity, and caprock permeability characteristics.« less

Electrical conductivity of basaltic and carbonatite melt-bearing peridotites at high pressures: Implications for melt distribution and melt fraction in the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshino, Takashi; Laumonier, Mickael; McIsaac, Elizabeth; Katsura, Tomoo

2010-07-01

Electrical impedance measurements were performed on two types of partial molten samples with basaltic and carbonatitic melts in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus in order to investigate melt fraction-conductivity relationships and melt distribution of the partial molten mantle peridotite under high pressure. The silicate samples were composed of San Carlos olivine with various amounts of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and the carbonate samples were a mixture of San Carlos olivine with various amounts of carbonatite. High-pressure experiments on the silicate and carbonate systems were performed up to 1600 K at 1.5 GPa and up to at least 1650 K at 3 GPa, respectively. The sample conductivity increased with increasing melt fraction. Carbonatite-bearing samples show approximately one order of magnitude higher conductivity than basalt-bearing ones at the similar melt fraction. A linear relationship between log conductivity ( σbulk) and log melt fraction ( ϕ) can be expressed well by the Archie's law (Archie, 1942) ( σbulk/ σmelt = Cϕn) with parameters C = 0.68 and 0.97, n = 0.87 and 1.13 for silicate and carbonate systems, respectively. Comparison of the electrical conductivity data with theoretical predictions for melt distribution indicates that the model assuming that the grain boundary is completely wetted by melt is the most preferable melt geometry. The gradual change of conductivity with melt fraction suggests no permeability jump due to melt percolation at a certain melt fraction. The melt fraction of the partial molten region in the upper mantle can be estimated to be 1-3% and ˜ 0.3% for basaltic melt and carbonatite melt, respectively.

Evolution of late stage differentiates in the Palisades Sill, New York and New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Block, Karin A.; Steiner, Jeffrey C.; Puffer, John H.; Jones, Kevin M.; Goldstein, Steven L.

2015-08-01

The Palisades Sill at Upper Nyack, NY contains evolved rocks that crystallized as ferrodiabase and ferrogranophyre and occupy 50% to 60% of the local thickness. 143Nd/144Nd isotope values for rocks representing Palisades diversity range between 0.512320 and 0.512331, and indicate a homogeneous source for the Palisades and little or no contamination from shallow crustal sediments. Petrographic analysis of ferrodiabase suggests that strong iron enrichment was the result of prolonged quiescence in cycles of magmatic input. Ferrogranophyres in the updip northern Palisades at Upper Nyack are members of a suite of cogenetic rocks with similar composition to 'sandwich horizon' rocks of the southern Palisades at Fort Lee, NJ, but display distinct mineralogical and textural features. Differences in textural and mineralogical features are attributed to a) updip (lateral) migration of residual liquid as the sill propagated closer to the surface; b) deformation caused by tectonic shifts; and c) crystallization in the presence of deuteric hydrothermal fluids resulting in varying degrees of alteration. A model connecting multiple magmatic pulses, compaction and mobilization of residual liquid by compositional convection, closed-system differentiation, synchronous with tapping of the sill for extrusion of coeval basaltic subaerial flows is presented. The persistence of a low-temperature mushy layer, represented by ferrogranophyres, supports the possibility of a long-lived conduit subject to reopening after periods of quiescence in magmatic input, leading to the extrusion of the multiple flows of the Orange Mountain Basalt and perhaps even subsequent Preakness Basalt flows, depending on solidification conditions. A sub-Newark Basin network of sills subjected to similar protracted input of pulses as hypothesized for the Palisades was likely responsible for 600 ka of magmatic activity required to emplace a third set of Watchung flood basalts, the Hook Mountain Basalt.

Markers of the pyroxenite contribution in the major-element compositions of oceanic basalts: Review of the experimental constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambart, Sarah; Laporte, Didier; Schiano, Pierre

2013-02-01

Based on previous and new results on partial melting experiments of pyroxenites at high pressure, we attempt to identify the major element signature of pyroxenite partial melts and to evaluate to what extent this signature can be transmitted to the basalts erupted at oceanic islands and mid-ocean ridges. Although peridotite is the dominant source lithology in the Earth's upper mantle, the ubiquity of pyroxenites in mantle xenoliths and in ultramafic massifs, and the isotopic and trace elements variability of oceanic basalts suggest that these lithologies could significantly contribute to the generation of basaltic magmas. The question is how and to what degree the melting of pyroxenites can impact the major-element composition of oceanic basalts. The review of experimental phase equilibria of pyroxenites shows that the thermal divide, defined by the aluminous pyroxene plane, separates silica-excess pyroxenites (SE pyroxenites) on the right side and silica-deficient pyroxenites (SD pyroxenites) on the left side. It therefore controls the melting phase relations of pyroxenites at high pressure but, the pressure at which the thermal divide becomes effective, depends on the bulk composition; partial melt compositions of pyroxenites are strongly influenced by non-CMAS elements (especially FeO, TiO2, Na2O and K2O) and show a progressive transition from the liquids derived from the most silica-deficient compositions to those derived from the most silica-excess compositions. Another important aspect for the identification of source lithology is that, at identical pressure and temperature conditions, many pyroxenites produce melts that are quite similar to peridotite-derived melts, making the determination of the presence of pyroxenite in the source regions of oceanic basalts difficult; only pyroxenites able to produce melts with low SiO2 and high FeO contents can be identified on the basis of the major-element compositions of basalts. In the case of oceanic island basalts, high CaO/Al2O3 ratios can also reveal the presence of pyroxenite in the source-regions. Experimental and thermodynamical observations also suggest that the interactions between pyroxenite-derived melts and host peridotites play a crucial role in the genesis of oceanic basalts by generating a wide range of pyroxenites in the upper mantle: partial melting of such secondary pyroxenites is able to reproduce the features of primitive basalts, especially their high MgO contents, and to impart, at least in some cases, the major-element signature of the original pyroxenite melt to the oceanic basalts. Finally, we highlight that the fact the very silica depleted compositions (SiO2 < 42 wt.%) and high TiO2 contents of some ocean island basalts seem to require the contribution of fluids (CO2 or H2O) through melting of either carbonated lithologies (peridotite or pyroxenite) or amphibole-rich veins.

Petrology of the Basalt of Summit Creek: A [Slab] Window into Pacific Northwest Tectonics during the Eocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kant, L. B.; Tepper, J. H.; Nelson, B. K.

2012-12-01

Variation in composition of basalts within the Cascade arc reflects the regional effects of subducting slab windows. The earliest preserved Tertiary manifestation of this process is the 55-44 Ma Basalt of Summit Creek (BSC), located southeast of Mount Rainier. At the base of this steeply dipping 2000 m section of subaerial lavas are basalts / diabases with arc traits (e.g., HFSE depletions, 1.0-1.2 wt. % K2O) and isotopic compositions (207Pb/204Pb > 15.58; ɛNd = +5.8 to +6.7) that overlap those of modern Cascade arc rocks. Conformably overlying these arc rocks (and separated by ~35m of shale, sandstone and conglomerate) are tholeiitic basalts with OIB affinities (<0.4 wt. % K2O, Y/Nb = 1.1-2.3, concave spidergram profiles) and isotopic signatures of a more depleted mantle source (207Pb/204Pb < 15.56; ɛNd = +7.1 to +7.8). In major element, trace element, and isotopic composition the upper BSC lavas are broadly similar to the voluminous Crescent Formation basalts on the Olympic Peninsula, which are coeval with the BSC but located ~100 km farther west. Compositional diversity within the upper BSC section (Mg# 66-30) appears to reflect both fractional crystallization and source heterogeneity. Modeling with MELTS (Ghiroso and Sack, 1995) indicates that differentiation dominated by removal of clinopyroxene and plagioclase took place at mid crustal depths (P = 5 kbar) and that the parent magma had <0.2 wt. % water. However, this process cannot account for all incompatible element data, which indicate the existence of two distinct magma series that differ most notably in Sr, Zr, and K2O contents. Arc basalts of the lower BSC may represent the southernmost extension of the Cretaceous-Tertiary North Cascades arc (Miller et al., 2009); however, basalts higher in the section have OIB traits and reflect a different tectonic setting. We propose that the transition from arc to OIB magmatism in the BSC records the arrival beneath the arc of a slab window produced by subduction of the Kula-Farallon Ridge (KFR). Previous research on subduction of the KFR has been limited to the coast. Improved dating and petrology of the BSC will help to better constrain the location and behavior of the KFR slab window as it moved further inboard beneath the North American plate.

Drilling confirms hot-spot origins

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

Not Available

1978-02-01

Eleven holes were drilled at 4 sites in the Emperor Seamount chain in order to test the hot-spot hypothesis of the origin of the Hawaiian and Emperor chains and several important corollaries. Basalt was penetrated at 3 sites, and the paleontological ages of the lowest sediments above basalt are consistent with a linear geochron connecting the ages of Meiji Seamount to the north, and Koko and Yuryaku seamounts to the south. The chemical composition of the upper 4 basalt flow units cored at Ojin Seamount indicates that they are typical Hawaiites. A sample of tholeiite was recovered from the bottommore » of the hole. The lava flows from Ojin, Nintoku, and Suiko have natural remanent magnetization that is relatively stable to alternating field demagnetization, as expected of oceanic-island basalts. Many of the basalts at all 3 sites have highly vesicular and oxidized flow tops and bottoms. Observations indicate that the flows were erupted subaerially, and that Ojin, Nintoku, and Suiko volcanoes once stood well above sea level. In a general way, the hot-spot origin of the Emperor Seamount chain was confirmed. (JGB)« less

Ocean plateau-seamount origin of basaltic rocks, Angayucham terrane, central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Jones, D.L.; Budahn, J.R.; Coney, P.J.

1988-01-01

The Angayucham terrane of north-central Alaska (immediately S of the Brooks Range) is a large (ca. 500 km E-W), allochthonous complex of Devonian to Lower Jurassic pillow basalt, diabase sills, gabbro plutons, and chert. The mafic rocks are transitional normal-to-enriched, mid-ocean-ridge (MORB) type tholeiites (TiO2 1.2-3.4%, Nb 7-23 ppm, Ta 0.24-1.08 ppm, Zr 69-214 ppm, and light REE's slightly depleted to moderately enriched). Geologic and geochemical constraints indicate that Angayucham terrane is the upper "skin' (ca. 3-4 km thick) of a long-lived (ca. 170-200 ma) oceanic plateau whose basaltic-gabbroic rocks are like those of seamounts of the East Pacific Rise. -Authors

The Thickness and Volume of Young Basalts Within Mare Imbrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuan; Li, Chunlai; Ren, Xin; Liu, Jianjun; Wu, Yunzhao; Lu, Yu; Cai, Wei; Zhang, Xunyu

2018-02-01

Basaltic volcanism is one of the most important geologic processes of the Moon. Research on the thickness and volume of late-stage basalts of Mare Imbrium helps better understand the source of lunar volcanism and eruption styles. Based on whether apparent flow fronts exist or not, the late-stage basalts within Mare Imbrium were divided into two groups, namely, Upper Eratosthenian basalts (UEm) and Lower Eratosthenian basalts (LEm). Employing the topographic profile analysis method for UEm and the crater excavation technique for LEm, we studied the thickness and distribution of Eratosthenian basalts in Mare Imbrium. For the UEm units, their thicknesses were estimated to be 16-34 (±2) m with several layers of individual lava ( 8-13 m) inside. The estimated thickness of LEm units was 14-45(±1) m, with a trend of reducing thickness from north to south. The measured thickness of late-stage basalts around the Chang'E-3 landing site ( 37 ± 1 m) was quite close to the results acquired by the lunar penetrating radar carried on board the Yutu Rover ( 35 m). The total volume of the late-stage basalts in Mare Imbrium was calculated to be 8,671 (±320) km3, which is 4 times lower than that of Schaber's estimation ( 4 × 104 km3). Our results indicate that the actual volume is much lower than previous estimates of the final stage of the late basaltic eruption of Mare Imbrium. Together, the area flux and transport distance of the lava flows gradually decreased with time. These results suggest that late-stage volcanic evolution of the Moon might be revised.

The subcontinental mantle beneath southern New Zealand, characterised by helium isotopes in intraplate basalts and gas-rich springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoke, L.; Poreda, R.; Reay, A.; Weaver, S. D.

2000-07-01

New helium isotope data measured in Cenozoic intraplate basalts and their mantle xenoliths are compared with present-day mantle helium emission on a regional scale from thermal and nonthermal gas discharges on the South Island of New Zealand and the offshore Chatham Islands. Cenozoic intraplate basaltic volcanism in southern New Zealand has ocean island basalt affinities but is restricted to continental areas and absent from adjacent Pacific oceanic crust. Its distribution is diffuse and widespread, it is of intermittent timing and characterised by low magma volumes. Most of the 3He/ 4He ratios measured in fluid inclusions in mantle xenocrysts and basalt phenocrysts such as olivine, garnet, and amphibole fall within the narrow range of 8.5 ± 1.5 Ra (Ra is the atmospheric 3He/ 4He ratio) with a maximum value of 11.5 Ra. This range is characteristic of the relatively homogeneous and degassed upper MORB-mantle helium reservoir. No helium isotope ratios typical of the lower less degassed mantle (>12 Ra), such as exemplified by the modern hot-spot region of Hawaii (with up to 32 Ra) were measured. Helium isotope ratios of less than 8 Ra are interpreted in terms of dilution of upper mantle helium with a radiogenic component, due to either age of crystallisation or small-scale mantle heterogeneities caused by mixing of crustal material into the upper mantle. The crude correlation between age of samples and helium isotopes with generally lower R/Ra values in mantle xenoliths compared with host rock phenocrysts and the in general depleted Nd and Sr isotope ratios and the light rare earth element enrichment of the basalts supports derivation of melts as small melt fractions from a depleted upper mantle, with posteruptive ingrowth of radiogenic helium as a function of lithospheric age. In comparison, the regional helium isotope survey of thermal and nonthermal gas discharges of the South Island of New Zealand shows that mantle 3He anomalies in general do not show an obvious relationship with either age or proximity to the Cenozoic intraplate volcanic centres or with major faults. In general, areas characterised by mantle 3He emission are interpreted to define those regions beneath which mantle melting and basalt magma addition to the crust are recent. The strongest mantle 3He anomaly (equivalent to >80% mantle helium component) is centred over southern Dunedin, measured in magmatic CO 2-rich mineral water springs issuing from crystalline basement rocks which outcrop at the southern extent of Miocene intraplate basaltic volcanism which ceased 9 Ma ago. This mantle helium anomaly overlaps with an area characterised by elevated surface high heat flow, compatible with a long-lived mantle melt/heat input into the crust. In comparison Banks Peninsula, another Miocene intraplate basaltic centre, is characterised by relatively low surface heat flow and a small mantle helium contribution measured in a nitrogen-rich spring. Here the thermal transient induced by the magmatic event has either dissipated or has not reached the surface. In the former case one might be dealing with storage and mixing of magmatic and crustal gases at shallow crustal levels and in the latter with active to recent mantle-melt degassing at depth. Along the most actively deforming part of the plate boundary zone, the transpressional Alpine Fault and Marlborough fault systems, mantle helium is present in gas-rich springs in all those areas underlain by actively subducting oceanic crust (the Australian plate in the south and Pacific plate in the north), whereas the central part of the Alpine transpressional fault is characterised by pure crustal radiogenic helium. Areas where the mantle helium component is negligible are restricted to the centre part of the South Island, extending along its length from Southland to northern Canterbury and Murchison. These areas are interpreted to delineate the extent of thicker and colder lithosphere compared to all other areas where mantle helium release from partial mantle melts at depth is recent to active being added to the lower lithosphere and/or lower crust. Areas characterised by mantle helium anomalies are equated with areas of thermal mantle anomalies, i.e., localised mantle heterogeneities such as upwelling less dense silicate melts in the upper asthenospheric mantle.

Formation and tectonic evolution of the Cretaceous Jurassic Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex, Pakistan: Implications for the composite tectonic setting of ophiolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Mehrab; Kerr, Andrew C.; Mahmood, Khalid

2007-10-01

The Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex Balochistan, Pakistan is comprised of an upper and lower nappe and represents one of a number of ophiolites in this region which mark the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates. These ophiolites were obducted onto the Indian continental margin around the Late Cretaceous, prior to the main collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The upper nappe contains mantle sequence rocks with numerous isolated gabbro plutons which we show are fed by dolerite dykes. Each pluton has a transitional dunite-rich zone at its base, and new geochemical data suggest a similar mantle source region for both the plutons and dykes. In contrast, the lower nappe consists of pillow basalts, deep-marine sediments and a mélange of ophiolitic rocks. The rocks of the upper nappe have a geochemical signature consistent with formation in an island arc environment whereas the basalts of the lower nappe contain no subduction component and are most likely to have formed at a mid-ocean ridge. The basalts and sediments of the lower nappe have been intruded by oceanic alkaline igneous rocks during the northward drift of the Indian plate. The two nappes of the Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex are thus distinctively different in terms of their age, lithology and tectonic setting. The recognition of composite ophiolites such as this has an important bearing on the identification and interpretation of ophiolites where the plate tectonic setting is less well resolved.

Asteroid 4 Vesta: A Fully Differentiated Dwarf Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David

2014-01-01

One conclusion derived from the study of meteorites is that some of them - most irons, stony irons, some achondrites - hail from asteroids that were heated to the point where metallic cores and basaltic crusts were formed. Telescopic observations show that there remains only one large asteroid with a basaltic crust, 4 Vesta; present day mean radius 263 km. The largest clan of achondrites, the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites, represent the crust of their parent asteroid. Diogenites are cumulate harzburgites and orthopyroxenites from the lower crust whilst eucrites are cumulate gabbros, diabases and basalts from the upper crust. Howardites are impact-engendered breccias of diogenites and eucrites. A strong case can be made that HEDs are derived from Vesta. The NASA Dawn spacecraft orbited Vesta for 14 months returning data allowing geological, mineralogical, compositional and geophysical interpretations of Vesta's surface and structure. Combined with geochemical and petrological observations of HED meteorites, differentiation models for Vesta can be developed. Proto-Vesta probably consisted of primitive chondritic materials. Compositional evidence, primarily from basaltic eucrites, indicates that Vesta was melted to high degree (>=50%) which facilitated homogenization of the silicate phase and separation of immiscible Fe,Ni metal plus Fe sulphide into a core. Geophysical models based on Dawn data support a core of 110 km radius. The silicate melt vigorously convected and initially followed a path of equilibrium crystallization forming a harzburgitic mantle, possibly overlying a dunitic restite. Once the fraction of crystals was sufficient to cause convective lockup, the remaining melt collected between the mantle and the cool thermal boundary layer. This melt undergoes fractional crystallization to form a dominantly orthopyroxenite (diogenite) lower crust. The initial thermal boundary layer of primitive chondritic material is gradually replaced by a mafic crust through impact disruption and foundering. The quenched mafic crust thickens over time through magma extrusion/intrusion. Melt from the residual magma ocean intrudes and penetrates the mafic crust forming cumulate eucrite plutons, and dikes, sills and flows of basaltic eucrite composition. The post-differentiation vestan structure is thus not too dissimilar from that of terrestrial planets: (i) a metallic core; (ii) an ultramafic mantle comprised of a lower dunitic layer (if melting was substantially <100%) and an upper cumulate harzburgitic layer; (iii) a lower crust of harzburgitic and orthopyroxenitic cumulates; and (iv) an upper mafic crust of basalts and diabases (melt compositions) with cumulate gabbro intrusions. Impacts have excavated to the lower crust and delivered howardites, eucrites and diogenites to Earth, but there is yet no evidence demonstrating excavation of the vestan mantlle.

Paleogeographic implications of an erosional remnant of Paleogene rocks southwest of the Sur-Nacimiento Fault Zone, southern Coast Ranges, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vedder, J.G.; McLean, H.; Stanley, R.G.; Wiley, T.J.

1991-01-01

A small tract of heretofore-unrecognized Paleogene rocks lies about 30 km northeast of Santa Maria and 1 km southwest of the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone near upper Pine Creek. This poorly exposed assemblage of rocks is less than 50 m thick, lies unconformably on regionally distributed Upper Cretaceous submarine-fan deposits, and consists of three units: fossiliferous lower Eocene mudstone, Oligocene(?) conglomerate, and basaltic andesite that has a radiometric age of 26.6 ?? 0.5 Ma. Both the sedimentary and igneous constituents in the Paleogene sequence are unlike those of known sequences on either side of the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone. The Paleogene sedimentary rocks near upper Pine Creek presumably are remnants of formerly widespread early Eocene bathyal deposits and locally distributed Oligocene(?) fluvial deposits southwest of the fault zone. The 26.6 Ma basaltic andesite, however, may not have extended much beyond its present outcrops. An episode of Oligocene(?) displacement is required by the contrast in thicknesses, depositional patterns, and paleobathymetry of the juxtaposed rock sequences. -from Authors

Hydrogeology of the Canal Creek area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oliveros, J.P.; Vroblesky, D.A.

1989-01-01

Geologic and borehole geophysical logs made at 77 sites show that the hydrogeologic framework of the study area consists of a sequence of unconsolidated sediments typical of the Coastal Plain of Maryland. Three aquifers and two confining units were delineated within the study area. From the surface down, they are: (1) the surficial aquifer; (2) the upper confining unit; (3) the Canal Creek aquifer; (4) the lower confining unit; and (5) the lower confined aquifer. The aquifer materials range from fine sand to coarse sand and gravel. Clay lenses were commonly found interfingered with the sand, isolating parts of the aquifers. All the units are continuous throughout the study area except for the upper confining unit, which crops out within the study area but is absent in updip outcrops. The unit also is absent within a Pleistocene paleochannel, where it has been eroded. The surficial and Canal Creek aquifers are hydraulically connected where the upper confining unit is absent, and a substantial amount of groundwater may flow between the two aquifers. Currently, no pumping stresses are known to affect the aquifers within the study area. Under current conditions, downward vertical hydraulic gradients prevail at topographic highs, and upward gradients typically prevail near surface-water bodies. Regionally, the direction of groundwater flow in the confined aquifers is to the east and southeast. Significant water level fluctuations correspond with seasonal variations in rainfall, and minor daily fluctuations reflect tidal cycles. (USGS)

Apports des phyllosilicates dans la différenciation entre altération hypogène et altération supergène dans le basalte triasique du Moyen Atlas (Maroc)Contribution of phyllosilicates to distinguish between hypogene alteration and weathering in Triassic basalt from Middle Atlas (Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dekayir, Abdelilah; Danot, Michel; Allali, Nabil

2002-09-01

Triassic basalt of the Middle Atlas has been subject to metamorphic transformation then weathering. Occurrence in both metabasalt and saprolite of ubiquitous clay minerals, such as smectite and mixed layers chlorite-smectite, makes it difficult to distinguish between the two alteration facies and explains the interest of complementary sources of information. In the Bhallil weathering profile, petrographical and mineralogical analyses of primary igneous minerals and their alteration products coupled with Fe oxidation state determination in clay fractions allow to identify three alteration facies: ( i) metamorphic basalt, where iron occurs mainly as the ferrous form; ( ii) the lower part of saprolite, where iron is partially oxidized to its ferric form; ( iii) the upper part of saprolite, where iron is completely oxidized. To cite this article: A. Dekayir et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 877-884.

Occurrence and mineral chemistry of high pressure phases, Portrillo basalt, southcentral New Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Final Technical Report, 1 Jun. 1978 - 31 May 1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffer, J. M.; Ortiz, T. S.

1980-01-01

Inclusions of clinopyroxenite, kaersutiteclinopyroxenite, kaersutite-rich inclusions, wehrlite and olivine-clinopyroxenite together with megacrysts of feldspar, kaersutite and spinel are found loose on the flanks of cinder cones, as inclusions within lava flows and within the cores of volcanic bombs in the Quaternary alkali-olivine basalt of the West Potrillo Mountains, southcentral New Mexico. Based on petrological and geochemical evidence the megacysts are interpreted to be phenocrysts which formed at great depth rather that xenocrysts of larger crystal aggregates. These large crystals are believed to have formed as stable phases at high temperature and pressure and have partially reacted with the basalt to produce subhedral to anhedral crystal boundaries. It can be demonstrated that the mafic and ultramafic crystal aggregates were derived from an alkali-basalt source rock generated in the mantle. The inclusions are believed to represent a cumulus body or bodies injected within the lower crust or upper mantle.

Magnesium Isotopic Compositions of Continental Basalts From Various Tectonic Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W.; Li, S.; Tian, H.; Ke, S.

2016-12-01

Recycled sedimentary carbonate through subduction is the main light Mg isotopic reservoir in Earth's deep interior, thus Mg isotopic variation of mantle-derived melts provides a fresh perspective on investigating deep carbon cycling. Here we investigate Mg isotopic compositions of continental basalts from various tectonic settings: (1) The Cenozoic basalts from eastern China, coinciding with the stagnant Pacific slab in the mantle transition zone revealed by seismic tomography; (2) The Cenozoic basalts from Tengchong area, southwestern China, which comprises a crucial part of the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plates; (3) The Permian basalts from Emeishan large igneous province, related to a mantle plume. The Cenozoic basalts from both eastern China and Tengchong area exhibit light Mg isotopic compositions (δ26Mg = -0.60 to -0.30‰ and -0.51 to -0.33‰), suggesting recycled sedimentary carbonates in their mantle sources. This is supported by their low Fe/Mn, high CaO/Al2O3, low Hf/Hf* and low Ti/Ti* ratios, which are typical features of carbonated peridotite-derived melt. The Tengchong basalts also show high 87Sr/86Sr, high radiogenic Pb and upper crustal-like trace element pattern, indicating contribution of recycled continental crustal materials. By contrast, all Emeishan basalts display a mantle-like Mg isotopic composition, with δ26Mg ranging from -0.35 to -0.19‰. Since the Emeishan basalts derived from a mantle plume, their mantle-like Mg isotopic composition may indicate limited sedimentary carbonated recycled into the lower mantle. This is consistent with a recent experimental study which concluded that direct recycling of carbon into the lower mantle may have been highly restricted throughout most of the Earth's history.

Composition of the earth's upper mantle. II - Volatile trace elements in ultramafic xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, J. W.; Wandless, G. A.; Petrie, R. K.; Irving, A. J.

1980-01-01

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis was used to determine the nine volatile elements Ag, Bi, Cd, In, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, and Zn in 19 ultramafic rocks, consisting mainly of spinel and garnet lherzolites. A sheared garnet lherzolite, PHN 1611, may approximate undepleted mantle material and tends to have a higher volatile element content than the depleted mantle material represented by spinel lherzolites. Comparisons of continental basalts with PHN 1611 and of oceanic ridge basalts with spinel lherzolites show similar basalt: source material partition factors for eight of the nine volatile elements, Sb being the exception. The strong depletion of Te and Se in the mantle, relative to lithophile elements of similar volatility, suggests that 97% of the earth's S, Se and Te may be in the outer core.

Geochemistry of the Bela Ophiolite, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M.; Nicholson, K. N.; Mahmood, K.

2008-12-01

The Bela ophiolite complex of Balochistan, Pakistan has been the subject of several geochemical and tectonic studies in the past. However until now there has never been a combined structural, geochemical and tectonic assimilation study which adequately explains the observed geochemistry and structural geology in a global tectonic framework. Here we present the geochemical findings of our work. The Bela ophiolite complex consists of two major units: the basal section or Lower Unit, and the Upper Unit, between the two is a mélange zone. The Lower Unit is relatively homogeneous and consists almost entirely of flow basalts and pillow basalts. The base of the Upper Unit is the metamorphic sole which is overlain by a sequence of massive basalts flows and intrusions of gabbro and granites. The entire Upper Unit is cut by doleritic dykes and sills. Geochemically the Lower Unit is comprised of basaltic lavas with E-MORB affinities. These lavas are tholeiitic, low-K series lavas with trace element signatures of E-type MORB. For example ratios such as V/Ti, Zr/Y, Nb/Th, Th/La and Nb/U all suggest these lavas are E-MORB. Previous workers have suggested these lavas are back-arc basin (BAB) however the samples lack the characteristic signatures of subduction modified MORB. This conclusion is supported by chondrite and N-MORB normalized spider diagrams where the Lower Unit lavas are enriched in the LILE with respect to the HFSE. The Upper Unit of the Bela Ophiolite sequence has a slightly more complex history. The older lavas sequences, the massive basalt flows, gabbros and granites, all formed in an oceanic arc environment. These lavas exhibit classic arc signatures such as a negative Nb and Ti anomalies, are enriched in LILE and LREE relative to HSFE, and plot in the volcanic arc and island arc fields in classic ternary plots such as 2Nb- Zr/4-Y and Y/15-La/10-Nb/8. The younger sequence of intrusions found in the Bela ophiolite appear to have BAB signatures. These lavas have relatively flat MORB normalized plots, are slightly depleted in the LILE relative the HFSE, and have a very small negative Nb anomaly. Source characteristics for both units have been determined using trace element data. This work suggests that the E-MORB lavas are derived from partial melting of enriched mantle. The lavas found in the Upper Unit have all been sourced from depleted or N-MORB mantle which has been modified by subducting fluids. It is possible that the younger BAB samples have a slightly more enriched source than the corresponding arc lavas which might indicate movement of the subduction zone allowing the influx of new mantle material below the wedge. In conclusion, our new geochemical work shows that the Bela ophiolite contains three distinct magmatic sequences: a lower E-MORB sequence over lain by a series of volcanic arc lavas which are cut by BAB-type sills and dykes.

Mantle plume capture, anchoring, and outflow during Galápagos plume-ridge interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, S. A.; Geist, D. J.; Richards, M. A.

2015-05-01

Compositions of basalts erupted between the main zone of Galápagos plume upwelling and adjacent Galápagos Spreading Center (GSC) provide important constraints on dynamic processes involved in transfer of deep-mantle-sourced material to mid-ocean ridges. We examine recent basalts from central and northeast Galápagos including some that have less radiogenic Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions than plume-influenced basalts (E-MORB) from the nearby ridge. We show that the location of E-MORB, greatest crustal thickness, and elevated topography on the GSC correlates with a confined zone of low-velocity, high-temperature mantle connecting the plume stem and ridge at depths of ˜100 km. At this site on the ridge, plume-driven upwelling involving deep melting of partially dehydrated, recycled ancient oceanic crust, plus plate-limited shallow melting of anhydrous peridotite, generate E-MORB and larger amounts of melt than elsewhere on the GSC. The first-order control on plume stem to ridge flow is rheological rather than gravitational, and strongly influenced by flow regimes initiated when the plume was on axis (>5 Ma). During subsequent northeast ridge migration material upwelling in the plume stem appears to have remained "anchored" to a contact point on the GSC. This deep, confined NE plume stem-to-ridge flow occurs via a network of melt channels, embedded within the normal spreading and advection of plume material beneath the Nazca plate, and coincides with locations of historic volcanism. Our observations require a more dynamically complex model than proposed by most studies, which rely on radial solid-state outflow of heterogeneous plume material to the ridge.

Glacial flour in lacustrine sediments: Records of alpine glaciation in the western U.S.A. during the last glacial interval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenbaum, J. G.; Reynolds, R. L.

2010-12-01

Sediments in Bear Lake (UT/ID) and Upper Klamath Lake (OR) contain glacial flour derived during the last glacial interval from the Uinta Mountains and the southern Cascade Range, respectively. Magnetic properties provide measures of glacial-flour content and, in concert with elemental and grain-size analyses, yield high-resolution records of glacial growth and decay. Creation and preservation of such records requires that (1) properties of glacial flour contrast with those of other sedimentary components and (2) magnetic minerals are neither formed nor destroyed after deposition. In the Bear Lake watershed, glaciers were confined to a small headwater area of the Bear River underlain by hematite-rich rocks of the Uinta Mountain Group (UMG), which are not exposed elsewhere in the catchment. Because UMG detritus is abundant only in Bear Lake sediments of glacial age, hard isothermal remanent magnetization (a measure of hematite content) provides a proxy for glacial flour. In contrast, the entire Upper Klamath Lake catchment, which lies to the east of the Cascade Range in southern Oregon, is underlain largely by basalt and basaltic andesite. Magnetic properties of fresh titanomagnetite-rich rock flour from glaciers on a composite volcano contrast sharply with those of detritus from unglaciated areas in which weathering destroyed some of the titanomagnetite. Ideally, well-dated records of the flux of glacial flour can be compared to ages of glacial features (e.g., moraines). For Upper Klamath Lake, quantitative measures of rock-flour content (from magnetic properties) and excellent chronology allow accurate calculation of flux. However, ages of glacial features are lacking and mafic volcanic rocks, which weather rapidly in this environment, are not well suited for cosmogenic exposure dating. At Bear Lake, estimates of glacial-flour content are less quantitative and chronology within the glacial interval must be interpolated from radiocarbon ages above and below the glacial-age sediments, but cosmogenic dating (by Laabs et al.) of highly resistant quartzite boulders provide ages from terminal moraines in the Bear River drainage. Glacial flour appears abruptly at ~26 cal ka in Bear Lake, whereas it is present at the base of the Upper Klamath Lake core (~37 cal ka). Both glacial flour records (1) contain millennial-scale variations (uncertainties in chronology prevent precise correlation of these features), (2) attain maxima circa 19 cal ka, and (3) rapidly decline beginning prior to 18 cal ka. At Bear Lake the age of the decline in glacial flour coincides with cosmogenic exposure ages (18.1 - 18.7 ka) of terminal moraines in the upper Bear River valley. This concurrence supports the interpretation that the maximum amount and subsequent decrease in glacial flour are indicative of maximum glacial extent and glacial retreat, respectively, and more generally that increases and decreases in rock flour in these lake sediments represent waxing and waning of glaciers. Laabs, B,J.C., et al., 2007, Chronology of the last glacial maximum in the upper Bear River basin, Utah, Arctic and Alpine Research, v. 39, p. 537 - 548.

57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy of mineral assemblages in mantle spinel lherzolites from Cenozoic alkali basalt, eastern China: Petrological applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Xi-Luo; Li, Yi-Liang

2013-01-01

Mineral assemblages in spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the Cenozoic alkali basalt of eastern China were analyzed by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy for Fe3+/ΣFe and distribution of Fe2+/Fe3+ in non-equivalent crystal cites. Orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel have 0.08-0.13, 0.19-0.31 and 0.13-0.23 Fe3+/ΣFe, respectively. The cation-exchange equilibrium temperatures, Fe3+ partition coefficient and oxygen fugacity of the upper mantle peridotites were calculated. The equilibrium temperatures are between 1103 K and 1405 K consistent with those reported elsewhere. The oxygen fugacities of spinel lherzolites calculated with olivine-orthopyroxene-spinel (ΔlogƒO2 from - 1.1 to 0) and clinopyroxene-olivine-orthopyroxene oxybarometers (ΔlogƒO2 from - 2.0 to 0.7) are consistent with previously reported upper mantle values.

Stability of carbonated basaltic melt at the base of the Earth's upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, S.; Litasov, K.; Ohtani, E.; Suzuki, A.

2006-12-01

Seismological observations of low velocity zones (LVZ) at the top of the 410-km discontinuity reveal possible existence of dense melt at this boundary (e.g. Reveanugh and Sipkin, 1994). Density measurements of anhydrous basaltic melts indicate that it is denser than surrounding mantle near 410-km depth (Ohtani and Maeda, 2001). However, melting temperature of peridotite is much higher than about 1400°C, estimated at 410-km depth. It has been shown recently that hydrous basaltic melt containing up to 2 wt.% H2O is denser than peridotite atop 410-km and therefore can be accumulated at the base of the upper mantle (Sakamaki et al., 2006). CO2 is another major volatile component in the mantle and it could be also important for explanation of LVZ near 410 km. In the present study, we have measured the density of carbonated basaltic melt at high pressures and high temperatures and discussed its possible stability at the base of the upper mantle. The density of the melt was determined using sink/float technique. The starting material was synthetic MORB glass. 5 and 10 wt.% CO2 was added to the glass as CaCO3 and Na2CO3, adjusting to proportions of related oxides. Experiments were carried out at 16-22 GPa and 2200-2300°C using a multianvil apparatus at Tohoku University, Japan. We observed neutral buoyancy of diamond density marker in MORB + 5 wt.% CO2 at 18 GPa and 2300°C, whereas, diamond was completely dissolved in the carbonated MORB melt containing 10 wt.% CO2 in 0.5-1 minute experiments. Based on the buoyancy test, the density of the carbonated basaltic melt, containing 5 wt.% CO2, is 3.56 g/cm3 at 18 GPa and 2300°C using an equation of state of diamond. To calculate the bulk modulus we assume that the pressure derivative of the isothermal bulk modulus is the same as that of the dry MORB melt, dKT/dP=5.0 and zero-pressure partial molar volume of CO2 is 32 cm3/mol (based on low-pressure experiments on carbonated basaltic melts and carbonatites, e.g. Dobson et al., 1996; Liu and Lange, 2003). Accordingly, the isothermal bulk modulus (KT) of the carbonated MORB melt containing 5 wt.% CO2 calculated using the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state is 16.3 ± 1 GPa. This value is close to that of dry MORB (KT=18 GPa) and indicates that addition of 5 wt.% CO2 to basaltic melt has minor influence on its compressibility. Density of MORB + 5 wt.% CO2 is almost same with the density of MORB + 2 wt.% H2O at 15-20 GPa. Comparison of the density of carbonated basaltic melt with PREM density profile at 1600°C indicates that it is buoyant above the 410 km discontinuity in the mantle only if it contains more than about 5 wt.% CO2.

Petrology and K-Ar ages of rift-related basaltic rocks, offshore northern Brazil, 3/sup 0/N

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

Fodor, R.V.; McKee, E.H.

1986-07-01

Tholeiitic basaltic rock in three cores from Petrobras drill site APS-21, 1960-2480 m depths, Amapa basin, offshore Brazil is compositionally similar to rift-related basaltic rock associated with the opening of both the North and South Atlantic Oceans (SiO/sub 2/ 52-54 wt %; K/sub 2/O 0.7-1.3%; TiO/sub 2/ 1.3-2%). Whole-rock K-Ar ages are 185.4, 183.2, and 126.5 m.y. If these represent crystallization ages, then the older samples correspond to North Atlantic tectonism (as represented by the Liberian dike system) and the younger correlates with South Atlantic rift-related magmatism (of which Serra Geral flood basalts are the best example). Trace- and REE-elementsmore » identify T-type mantle source-areas (La/Sm/sub (n)/ approx. 2; Zr/Nb 8-11) that feasibly were mixes of N-type and P-type components (metasomatized or veined upper mantle). These Amapa basin mafic rocks document the southernmost magmatism related to North Atlantic rifting, as well as early Mesozoic mantle source-areas and processes beneath Gondwanaland such as those identified with basalts in the South Atlantic basin.« less

Paleomagnetic results from the Upper Unkar Group and overlying Nankoweap Formation from the Grand Canyon Supergroup (GCSG), Arizona: Implications for Laurentia's Neoproterozoic APWP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weil, A. B.; Geissman, J.; Van der Voo, R.

2001-12-01

Paleomagnetic sampling was carried out within the Cardenas basalts and an underlying suite of mafic intrusions from the uppermost Unkar Group (lower GCSG), as well as from the unconformably overlying Nankoweap Fm. The GCSG is one of the thickest and best preserved Neoproterozoic sequences in North America. The lower GCSG was deposited between 1200 Ma (cooling age of the underlying Vishnu schist) and about 1100 Ma (Rb-Sr dates on Cardenas basalts) during a failed rift event. The Nankoweap Fm. is hypothesized to have been deposited during extension subsequent to deposition of the lower GCSG; however, the relationship of the Nankoweap Fm. to the underlying lower GCSG and the overlying upper GCSG is poorly understood. The estimated age of the Nankoweap Fm. is 950 Ma. Sixteen sites were collected from the Cardenas basalts and from a suite of dikes and sills that intrude the Unkar Group. The dikes and sills are considered feeders to the Cardenas basalt, based on geochemical similarities and stratigraphic relationships. After thermal treatment the sixteen sites yield a stable characteristic magnetization direction of D = 286\\deg %, I = +58\\deg % (kappa = 26, alpha95 = 7), corresponding to a paleopole of 181\\deg % E, 33\\deg % N. The remanence in the intrusions is confirmed by a partial contact test on host Dox Formation strata. The samples collected along the margin of the dikes give statistically the same normal-polarity direction as the intrusion; however, samples more than several dike widths from the contact yield mainly unresolvable characteristic remanence directions. Nine sites were collected from the Nankoweap Fm., which unconformably overlies the Cardenas basalts. After thermal treatment the nine sites yield a stable characteristic magnetization direction of D = 257\\deg %, I = -3\\deg % (kappa = 80, alpha95 = 7.5), which corresponds to a paleopole of 165\\deg % E, 11\\deg % S. A fold test of the nine sites reveals a pre-folding magnetization acquisition. These new data combined with previous data from the upper GCSG indicate that Laurentia's Neoproterozoic APWP has a counterclockwise loop that starts in the Pacific at ~1100 Ma at ~30\\deg % N and 180\\deg % E, crosses the equator at ~160\\deg % E, travels south, where the path loops back up along ~175\\deg % E eventually crossing itself at ~740 Ma.

Geochemistry of NE Atlantic non-rifting zones, Iceland and Jan Mayen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tronnes, R. G.; Waight, T.

2005-12-01

The fertile components of the NE Atlantic mantle are sampled preferentially by alkaline basalts in the volcanic flank zones of Iceland and in the Jan Mayen and Vesteris seamount areas. Our data from primitive flank zone lavas from Iceland and Jan Mayen demonstrate a HIMU-affinity with enrichment of HFSE, U/Pb, Th/U and Nb/Th. In PM-normalized spider diagrams the least enriched samples have weakly positive Sr-anomalies, whereas the most enriched samples have negative Sr-anomalies. The entire sample suite shows negative Sr-Nd-isotope correlation, whereas the samples of each volcanic system or flank zone generally lack such a correlation. Our data confirm the anomalously high 87/86Sr of the Orafajokull volcanic system in the eastern flank zone. The results are consistent with existing data for other primitive flank zone basalts from Iceland and Jan Mayen. Common geochemical features linking alkaline flank zone basalts and high-degree tholeiitic melts include high 87/86Sr (and probably 176/177Hf) for a given 143/144Nd, negative delta-207Pb (except for Orafajokull) and positive delta-Nb. Alkaline flank zone basalts have generally higher 87/86Sr, 206/204Pb and 18/16O and lower 143/144Nd, 187/188Os and 3/4He than rift zone tholeiites. The different 18/16O ratios in flank and rift zone basalts are consistent with seafloor hydrothermal alteration of the upper and lower parts of recycled oceanic lithosphere, respectively. Olivine-melt fractionation may contribute to the difference. Indications of lower 187/188Os in alkaline basalts compared to nearby rift zone tholeiites could be caused by subduction zone loss of Re from the upper part of recycled slabs. The partial melting and volcanic sampling of the fertile mantle components under Iceland and the NE Atlantic is governed by the crustal structure and geometry of the Icelandic volcanic zones and the lateral deflection of the upwelling heterogeneous mantle source originating under central Iceland. Based on the pattern of V-shaped ridges along the Kolbeinsey ridge, the lateral mantle flow from central Iceland may well extend beyond Jan Mayen. The geochemical similarities between the enriched basalts of the Icelandic flank zones and Jan Mayen support this contention, although a minor separate plume under JM is a possibility.

Magma source transition of lunar mare volcanism at 2.3 Ga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Shinsuke; Morota, Tomokatsu; Yamaguchi, Yasushi; Watanabe, Sei-Ichiro; Otake, Hisashi; Ohtake, Makiko

2017-09-01

Mare basalts provide insights into the composition and thermal history of the lunar mantle. The ages of mare basalts suggest a first peak of magma activity at 3.2-3.8 Ga and a second peak at 2 Ga. In this study, we reassess the correlation between the titanium contents and the eruption ages of mare basalt units using the compositional and chronological data updated by SELENE (Kaguya). Using morphological and geological criteria, we calculated the titanium content of 261 mare units across a representative area of each mare unit. In the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, where the latest eruptions are located, an increase in the mean titanium content is observed during the Eratosthenian period, as reported by previous studies. We found that the increase in the mean titanium content occurred within a relatively short period near approximately 2.3 Ga, suggesting that the magma source of the mare basalts changed at this particular age. Moreover, the high-titanium basaltic eruptions are correlated with a second peak in volcanic activity near 2 Ga. The high-titanium basaltic eruptions occurring during the last volcanic activity period can be explained by the three possible scenarios (1) the ilmenite-bearing cumulate rich layer in the core-mantle boundary formed after the mantle overturn, (2) the basaltic material layers beneath the lunar crust formed through upwelling magmas, and (3) ilmenite-bearing cumulate blocks remained in the upper mantle after the mantle overturn.

Petrologically-based Electrical Profiles vs. Geophysical Observations through the Upper Mantle (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaillard, F.; Massuyeau, M.; Sifre, D.; Tarits, P.

2013-12-01

Mineralogical transformations in the up-welling mantle play a critical role on the dynamics of mass and heat transfers at mid-ocean-ridgeS. The melting event producing ridge basalts occur at 60 km depth below the ridge axis, but because of small amounts of H2O and CO2 in the source region of MOR-basalts, incipient melting can initiate at much greater depth. Such incipient melts concentrate incompatible elements, and are particularly rich in volatile species. These juices evolve from carbonatites, carbonated basalts, to CO2-H2O-rich basalts as recently exposed by petrological surveys; the passage from carbonate to silicate melts is a complex pathway that is strongly non-linear. This picture has recently been complicated further by studies showing that oxygen increasingly partitions into garnet as pressure increases; this implies that incipient melting may be prevented at depth exceeding 200 km because not enough oxygen is available in the system to stabilize carbonate melts. The aim of this work is twofold: - We modelled the complex pathway of mantle melting in presence of C-O-H volatiles by adjusting the thermodynamic properties of mixing in the multi-component C-O-H-melt system. This allows us to calculate the change in melt composition vs. depth following any sortS of adiabat. - We modelled the continuous change in electrical properties from carbonatites, carbonated basalts, to CO2-H2O-rich basalts. We then successfully converted this petrological evolution along a ridge adiabat into electrical conductivity vs. depth signal. The discussion that follows is about comparison of this petrologically-based conductivity profile with the recent profiles obtained by inversion of the long-period electromagnetic signals from the East-Pacific-Rise. These geophysically-based profiles reveal the electrical conductivity structure down to 400 km depth and they show some intriguing highly conductive sections. We will discuss heterogeneity in electrical conductivity of the upper mantle underneath the ridge in terms of melting processes. Our prime conclusion is that the redox melting process, universally predicted by petrological models, might not be universal and that incipient melting can extend down to the transition zone.

Petit-spot geology reveals melts in upper-most asthenosphere dragged by lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machida, Shiki; Hirano, Naoto; Sumino, Hirochika; Hirata, Takafumi; Yoneda, Shigekazu; Kato, Yasuhiro

2015-09-01

Petit-spot volcanism is a phenomenon ubiquitous on Earth. It originates from melt in the upper-most mantle asthenosphere, occurring where the plate flexes and fractures before subduction. Recent geochemical and petrological studies of petit-spot volcanism lava have shown that understanding this form of volcanism can contribute to the investigation of mantle dynamics and CO2 degassing of Earth. However, geological information constraining the magma source of petit-spot remains limited. Here, we present a comprehensive dataset of geochemistry (major and trace elements, and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions) and 40Ar/39Ar ages of alkaline basaltic rocks and glasses to define the geological characteristics of petit-spot volcanoes in the northwestern Pacific. The geochemical and geochronological variations of the basalts indicate that petit-spot volcanism is characterized by a petrogenetically and temporally isolated magma system for each volcano. The basalt geochemistry further indicates that the magmas at the volcanoes were derived from the melting of a heterogeneous regional-scale source under a range of conditions. In addition, slight temporal intra-field migration of petit-spot vent fields against the plate motion was detected. These features indicate that the magma originates from isolated melt ponds at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, and that the speed at which the melt ponds are dragged by the plate is only slightly slower than that of the plate motion. Our results provide detailed insight into eruption processes of asthenosphere melts induced by plate-flexure, and also suggest the complete coupling of the lithosphere to the upper-most asthenosphere in the case of large plate subduction.

Fluid and chemical fluxes along a buried-basement ridge in the eastern Juan de Fuca Ridge flank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulme, S.; Wheat, C. G.

2010-12-01

Hydrothermal fluid circulation within oceanic crust at low temperatures affects global biogeochemical cycles, with the volume of fluid circulation rivaling that of the world’s water flux to the oceans from rivers. Our work focuses on the best studied low temperature hydrothermal system on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge where a buried basement ridge 100 km from the active spreading axis has been sampled with a variety of mediums. We use data from deep sea drilling, gravity coring, and submersible operations from five sites along-strike of the buried ridge to better constrain the chemical and fluid fluxes along this transect. A transport (advection-diffusion) model is applied to the data, constraining the volumetric fluid flux per unit length within the oceanic crust from 0.05 and 0.2 m3 y-1 cm-1 and identifying conservative elements within this system. Using an average fluid flux, reactive fluxes are determined for non-conservative elements within basaltic crust for twenty-four chemical species. Conservative species include K, Cl, SO4, Ba, Sr, Cs, Mo, and Y. Only Ca and the rare earth elements Ce and Gd are produced by basaltic basement. The remaining chemical species Mg, Na, ammonium, Li, Rb, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Cd, U, La and Yb are all consumed within upper basaltic basement. Fluxes of potentially-bioavailable redox species ammonium, Fe, and Mn into the upper basaltic basement are 3 to 20 nmol y-1cm-2. Possible mechanisms of removal are suggested, placing constraints on microbial metabolic activity and biomineralization.

Stratigraphy of the unsaturated zone and uppermost part of the Snake River Plain aquifer at test area north, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

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

Anderson, S.R.; Bowers, B.

1995-06-01

A complex sequence of basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds underlies Test Area North (TAN) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in eastern Idaho. Wells drilled to depths of at least 500 feet penetrate 10 basalt-flow groups and 5 to 10 sedimentary interbeds that range in age from about 940,000 to 1.4 million years. Each basalt-flow group consists of one or more basalt flows from a brief, single or compound eruption. All basalt flows of each group erupted from the same vent, and have similar ages, paleomagnetic properties, potassium contents, and natural-gamma emissions. Sedimentary interbeds consist of fluvial, lacustrine, and eolianmore » deposits of clay, silt, sand, and gravel that accumulated for hundreds to hundreds of thousands of years during periods of volcanic quiescence. Basalt and sediment are elevated by hundreds of feet with respect to rocks of equivalent age south and cast of the area, a relation that is attributed to past uplift at TAN. Basalt and sediment are unsaturated to a depth of about 200 feet below land surface. Rocks below this depth are saturated and make up the Snake River Plain aquifer. The effective base of the aquifer is at a depth of 885 feet below land surface. Detailed stratigraphic relations for the lowermost part of the aquifer in the depth interval from 500 to 885 feet were not determined because of insufficient data. The stratigraphy of basalt-flow groups and sedimentary interbeds in the upper 500 feet of the unsaturated zone and aquifer was determined from natural-gamma logs, lithologic logs, and well cores. Basalt cores were evaluated for potassium-argon ages, paleomagnetic properties, petrographic characteristics, and chemical composition. Stratigraphic control was provided by differences in ages, paleomagnetic properties, potassium content, and natural-gamma emissions of basalt-flow groups and sedimentary interbeds.« less

Magma source evolution beneath the Caribbean oceanic plateau: New insights from elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic studies of ODP Leg 165, Site 1001 basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, A. C.; Pearson, G.; Nowell, G.

2008-12-01

Ocean Drilling Project Leg 165 sampled 38m of the basaltic basement of the Caribbean plate at Site 1001 on the Hess Escarpment. The recovered section consists of 12 basaltic flow units which yield a weighted mean Ar-Ar age of 80.9±0.9 Ma (Sinton et al., 2000). The basalts (6.4-8.5 wt.% MgO) are remarkably homogeneous in composition and are more depleted in incompatible trace elements than N-MORB. Markedly, depleted initial radiogenic isotope ratios reveal a long-term history of depletion. Although the Site 1001 basalts are superficially similar to N-MORB, radiogenic isotopes in conjunction with incompatible trace element ratios show that the basalts have more similarity to the depleted basalts and komatiites of Gorgona Island. This chemical composition strongly implies that the Site 1001 basalts are derived from a depleted mantle plume component and not from depleted ambient upper mantle. Therefore the Site 1001 basalts are, both compositionally and tectonically, a constituent part of the Caribbean oceanic plateau. Mantle melt modelling suggests that the Site 1001 lavas have a composition which is consistent with second-stage melting of compositionally heterogeneous mantle plume source material which had already been melted, most likely to form the 90Ma basalts of the plateau. The prolonged residence (>10m.y.) of residual mantle plume source material below the region, confirms computational model predictions and places significant constraints on tectonic models of Caribbean evolution in the late Cretaceous, and the consequent environmental impact of oceanic plateau volcanism. Reference Sinton, C.W., et al., 2000. Geochronology and petrology of the igneous basement at the lower Nicaraguan Rise, Site 1001. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. Leg 165. pp. 233-236.

Transition from confined to phreatic conditions as the factor controlling salinization and change in redox state, Upper subaquifer of the Judea Group, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrieli, Ittai; Burg, Avi; Guttman, Joseph

2002-08-01

An increase in salinity and change from oxic to anoxic conditions are observed in the Upper subaquifer of the Judea Group in the Kefar Uriyya pumping field at the western foothills of the Judea Mountains, Israel. Hydrogeological data indicate that the change, which occurs over a distance of only a few kilometers, coincides with a transition from confined to phreatic conditions in the aquifer. The deterioration in the water quality is explained as a result of seepage of more saline, organic-rich water from above, into the phreatic "roofed" part of the aquifer. The latter is derived from the bituminous chalky rocks of the Mount Scopus Group, which confine the aquifer in its southeastern part. In this confined part, water in perched horizons within the Mount Scopus Group cannot leak down and flow westward while leaching organic matter and accumulating salts. However, upon reaching the transition area from confined to phreatic conditions, seepage to the Judea Upper subaquifer is possible, thereby allowing it to be defined as a leaky aquifer. The incoming organic matter consumes the dissolved oxygen and allows bacterial sulfate reduction. The latter accounts for the H2S in the aquifer, as indicated by sulfur isotopic analyses of coexisting sulfate and sulfide. Thus, from an aquifer management point of view, in order to maintain the high quality of the water in the confined southeastern part of the Kefar Uriyya field, care should be taken not to draw the confined-roofed transition area further east by over pumping.

Dating the Gaofan and Hutuo Groups - Targets to investigate the Paleoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Peng; Feng, Lianjun; Sun, Fengbo; Yang, Shuyan; Su, Xiangdong; Zhang, Zhiyue; Wang, Chong

2017-05-01

There are several sedimentary units in North China that are proposed to be associated with the Paleoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event (GOE) and/or subsequent events; however, few of them have been precisely dated. In this study, deposition age of the greenschist facies Gaofan and Hutuo Groups is determined. Zircon grains liberated from a tuff layer (metamorphosed to sericite-quartz schist) in the upper part of the Mohe Formation (the second of the three formations of the Gaofan Group) yield a weighted average 207Pb/206Pb age of 2186 ± 8 Ma (n = 7, MSWD = 1.3), representing time of deposition. This age and the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of the basal feldspar quartzite (meta-siltstone), as well as the initial deposition age of the unconformably overlying Hutuo Group, confine the deposition age of the Gaofan Group to 2350-2150 Ma. This result negates the Gaofan Group as one subgroup of the 2560-2510 Ma Wutai greenstone belt. Zircons from the Banlaoyao mafic sill (meta-diabase) that intruded the Dongye Subgroup of the Hutuo Group yield an upper intercept U-Pb age of 2057 ± 25 Ma (n = 14, MSWD = 1.3), representing time of crystallization. Considering the age of the basalt in the first formation of the Doucun Subgroup and the tuff in the first formation of the Dongye Subgroup, the deposition age of the Doucun and Dongye Subgroups of the Hutuo Group is confined to 2150-2090 Ma and 2090-2060 Ma, respectively. These age brackets, as well as the available carbon and nitrogen isotope data indicate that the Zhangxianbu Formation of the Gaofan Group possibly recorded the GOE; whereas the Mohe-Yaokouqian Formations of the Gaofan Group and the Doucun-Dongye Subgroups of the Hutuo Group recorded the subsequent Lomagundi-Jatuli Event (LJE). However, the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon excursions are hardly distinguishable from the Gaofan Group and the Doucun Subgroup (Hutuo Group) as both units consist of little inorganic carbon but terrestrial clastic turbidites.

Geology of Paleozoic Rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, Excluding the San Juan Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geldon, Arthur L.

2003-01-01

The geology of the Paleozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, was studied as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program to provide support for hydrogeological interpretations. The study area is segmented by numerous uplifts and basins caused by folding and faulting that have recurred repeatedly from Precambrian to Cenozoic time. Paleozoic rocks in the study area are 0-18,000 feet thick. They are underlain by Precambrian igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and are overlain in most of the area by Triassic formations composed mostly of shale. The overlying Mesozoic and Tertiary rocks are 0-27,000 feet thick. All Paleozoic systems except the Silurian are represented in the region. The Paleozoic rocks are divisible into 11 hydrogeologic units. The basal hydrogeologic unit consisting of Paleozoic rocks, the Flathead aquifer, predominantly is composed of Lower to Upper Cambrian sandstone and quartzite. The aquifer is 0-800 feet thick and is overlain gradationally to unconformably by formations of Cambrian to Mississippian age. The Gros Ventre confining unit consists of Middle to Upper Cambrian shale with subordinate carbonate rocks and sandstone. The confining unit is 0-1,100 feet thick and is overlain gradationally to unconformably by formations of Cambrian to Mississippian age. The Bighom aquifer consists of Middle Cambrian to Upper Ordovician limestone and dolomite with subordinate shale and sandstone. The aquifer is 0-3,000 feet thick and is overlain unconformably by Devonian and Mississipplan rocks. The Elbert-Parting confining unit consists of Lower Devonian to Lower Mississippian limestone, dolomite, sandstone, quartzite, shale, and anhydrite. It is 0-700 feet thick and is overlain conformably to unconformably by Upper Devonian and Mississippian rocks. The Madison aquifer consists of two zones of distinctly different lithology. The lower (Redwall-Leadville) zone is 0-2,500 feet thick and is composed almost entirely of Upper Devonian to Upper Mississippian limestone, dolomite, and chert. The overlying (Darwin-Humbug) zone is 0-800 feet thick and consists of Upper Mississippian limestone, dolomite, sandstone, shale, gypsum, and solution breccia. The Madison aquifer is overlain conformably by Upper Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks. The Madison aquifer in most areas is overlain by Upper Mississippian to Middle Pennsylvanian rocks of the Four Comers confining unit. The lower part of this confining unit, the Belden-Molas subunit, consists of as much as 4,300 feet of shale with subordinate carbonate rocks, sandstone, and minor gypsum. The upper part of the confining unit, the Paradox-Eagle Valley subunit, in most places consists of as much as 9,700 feet of interbedded limestone, dolomite, shale, sandstone, gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. Locally, the evaporitic rocks are deformed into diapirs as much as 15,000 feet thick. The Four Corners confining unit is overlain gradationally to disconformably by Pennsylvanian rocks. The uppermost Paleozoic rocks comprise the Canyonlands aquifer, which is composed of three zones with distinctly different lithologies. The basal (Cutler-Maroon) zone consists of as much as 16,500 feet of Lower Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian sandstone, conglomerate, shale, limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. The middle (Weber-De Chelly) zone consists of as much as 4,000 feet of Middle Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian quartz sandstone with minor carbonate rocks and shale. The upper (Park City-State Bridge) zone consists of as much as 800 feet of Lower to Upper Permian limestone, dolomite, shale, sandstone, phosphorite, chert, and gypsum. The Canyonlands aquifer is overlain disconformably to unconformably by formations of Triassic and Jurassic age.

Hydrogeologic framework of the Floridan aquifer system in Florida and in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, James A.

1986-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system of the Southeastern United States is comprised of a thick sequence of carbonate rocks that are mostly of Paleocene to early Miocene age and that are hydraulically connected in varying degrees. The aquifer system consists of a single vertically continuous permeable unit updip and of two major permeable zones (the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers) separated by one of seven middle confining units downdip. Neither the boundaries of the aquifer system or of its component high- and low-permeability zones necessarily conform to either formation boundaries or time-stratigraphic breaks. The rocks that make up the Floridan aquifer system, its upper and lower confining units, and a surficial aquifer have been separated into several chronostratigraphic units. The external and internal geometry of these stratigraphic units is presented on a series of structure contour and isopach maps and by a series of geohydrologic cross sections and a fence diagram. Paleocene through middle Eocene units consist of an updip clastic facies and a downdip carbonate bank facies, that extends progressively farther north and east in progressively younger units. Upper Eocene and Oligocene strata are predominantly carbonate rocks throughout the study area. Miocene and younger strata are mostly clastic rocks. Subsurface data show that some modifications in current stratigraphic nomenclature are necessary. First, the middle Eocene Lake City Limestone cannot be distinguished lithologically or faunally from the overlying middle Eocene Avon Park 'Limestone.' Accordingly, it is proposed that the term Lake City be abandoned and the term Avon Park Formation be applied to the entire middle Eocene carbonate section of peninsular Florida and southeastern Georgia. A reference well section in Levy County, Fla., is proposed for the expanded Avon Park Formation. The Avon Park is called a 'formation' more properly than a 'limestone' because the unit contains rock types other than limestone. Second, like the Avon Park, the lower Eocene Oldsmar and Paleocene Cedar Keys 'Limestones' of peninsular Florida practically everywhere contain rock types other than limestone. It is therefore proposed that these units be referred to more accurately as Oldsmar Formation and Cedar Keys Formation. The uppermost hydrologic unit in the study area is a surficial aquifer that can be divided into (1) a fluvial sand-and-gravel aquifer in southwestern Alabama and westernmost panhandle Florida, (2) limestone and sandy limestone of the Biscayne aquifer in southeastern peninsular Florida, and (3) a thin blanket of terrace and fluvial sands elsewhere. The surficial aquifer is underlain by a thick sequence of fine clastic rocks and low-permeability carbonate rocks, most of which are part of the middle Miocene Hawthorn Formation and all of which form the upper confining unit of the Floridan aquifer system. In places, the upper confining unit has been removed by erosion or is breached by sinkholes. Water in the Floridan aquifer system thus occurs under unconfined, semiconfined, or fully confined conditions, depending upon the presence, thickness, and integrity of the upper confining unit. Within the Floridan aquifer system, seven low permeability zones of subregional extent split the aquifer system in most places into an Upper and Lower Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer, which consists of all or parts of rocks of Oligocene age, late Eocene age, and the upper half of rocks of middle Eocene age, is highly permeable. The middle confining units that underlie the Upper Floridan are mostly of middle Eocene age but may be as young as Oligocene or as old as early Eocene. Where no middle confining unit exists, the entire aquifer system is comprised of permeable rocks and for hydrologic discussions is treated as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Lower Floridan aquifer contains a cavernous high-permeability horizon in the lower part of the early Eocene of south

Correlation between basalt flows and radiochemical and chemical constituents in selected wells in the southwestern part of the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartholomay, Roy C.; Hodges, Mary K. V.; Champion, Duane E.

2017-12-21

Wastewater discharged to wells and ponds and wastes buried in shallow pits and trenches at facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have contributed contaminants to the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer in the southwestern part of the INL. This report describes the correlation between subsurface stratigraphy in the southwestern part of the INL with information on the presence or absence of wastewater constituents to better understand how flow pathways in the aquifer control the movement of wastewater discharged at INL facilities. Paleomagnetic inclination was used to identify subsurface basalt flows based on similar inclination measurements, polarity, and stratigraphic position. Tritium concentrations, along with other chemical information for wells where tritium concentrations were lacking, were used as an indicator of which wells were influenced by wastewater disposal.The basalt lava flows in the upper 150 feet of the ESRP aquifer where wastewater was discharged at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) consisted of the Central Facilities Area (CFA) Buried Vent flow and the AEC Butte flow. At the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Complex, where wastewater would presumably pond on the surface of the water table, the CFA Buried Vent flow probably occurs as the primary stratigraphic unit present; however, AEC Butte flow also could be present at some of the locations. At the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC), where contamination from buried wastes would presumably move down through the unsaturated zone and pond on the surface of the water table, the CFA Buried Vent; Late Basal Brunhes; or Early Basal Brunhes basalt flows are the flow unit at or near the water table in different cores.In the wells closer to where wastewater disposal occurred at INTEC and the ATR-Complex, almost all the wells show wastewater influence in the upper part of the ESRP aquifer and wastewater is present in both the CFA Buried Vent flow and AEC Butte flow. The CFA Buried Vent flow and AEC Butte flow are also present in wells at and north of CFA and are all influenced by wastewater contamination. All wells with the AEC Butte flow present have wastewater influence and 83 percent of the wells with the more prevalent CFA Buried Vent flow have wastewater influence. South and southeast of CFA, most wells are not influenced by wastewater disposal and are completed in the Big Lost Flow and the CFA Buried Vent flow. Wells southwest of CFA are influenced by wastewater disposal and are completed in the Big Lost flow and CFA Buried Vent flow at the top of the aquifer. Basalt stratigraphy indicates that the CFA Buried Vent flow is the predominant flow in the upper part of the ESRP aquifer at and near the RWMC as it is present in all the wells in this area. The Late Basal Brunhes flow, Middle Basal Brunhes flow, Early Basal Brunhes flow, South Late Matuyama flow, and Matuyama flow are also present in various wells influenced by waste disposal.Some wells south of RWMC do not show wastewater influence, and the lack of wastewater influence could be due to low hydraulic conductivities. Several wells south and southeast of CFA also do not show wastewater influence. Low hydraulic conductivities or ESRP subsidence are possible causes for lack of wastewater south of CFA.Multilevel monitoring wells completed much deeper in the aquifer show influence of wastewater in numerous basalt flows. Well Middle 2051 (northwest of RWMC) does not show wastewater influence in its upper three basalt flows (CFA Buried Vent, Late Basal Brunhes, and Middle Basal Brunhes); however, wastewater is present in two deeper flows (the Matuyama and Jaramillo flows). Well USGS 131A (southwest of CFA) and USGS132 (south of RWMC) both show wastewater influence in all the basalt flows sampled in the upper 600 feet of the aquifer. Wells USGS 137A, 105, 108, and 103 completed along the southern boundary of the INL all show wastewater influence in several basalt flows including the G flow, Middle and Early Basal Brunhes flows, the South Late Matuyama flow and the Matuyama flow; however, the strongest wastewater influence appears to be in the South Late Matuyama flow. The concentrations of wastewater constituents in deeper parts of these wells support the concept of groundwater flow deepening in the southwestern part of the INL.

Effects of model layer simplification using composite hydraulic properties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sepúlveda, Nicasio; Kuniansky, Eve L.

2010-01-01

The effects of simplifying hydraulic property layering within an unconfined aquifer and the underlying confining unit were assessed. The hydraulic properties of lithologic units within the unconfined aquifer and confining unit were computed by analyzing the aquifer-test data using radial, axisymmetric two-dimensional (2D) flow. Time-varying recharge to the unconfined aquifer and pumping from the confined Upper Floridan aquifer (USA) were simulated using 3D flow. Conceptual flow models were developed by gradually reducing the number of lithologic units in the unconfined aquifer and confining unit by calculating composite hydraulic properties for the simplified lithologic units. Composite hydraulic properties were calculated using either thickness-weighted averages or inverse modeling using regression-based parameter estimation. No significant residuals were simulated when all lithologic units comprising the unconfined aquifer were simulated as one layer. The largest residuals occurred when the unconfined aquifer and confining unit were aggregated into a single layer (quasi-3D), with residuals over 100% for the leakage rates to the confined aquifer and the heads in the confining unit. Residuals increased with contrasts in vertical hydraulic conductivity between the unconfined aquifer and confining unit. Residuals increased when the constant-head boundary at the bottom of the Upper Floridan aquifer was replaced with a no-flow boundary.

Geochemical constraints on the spatial distribution of recycled oceanic crust in the mantle source of late Cenozoic basalts, Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoang, Thi Hong Anh; Choi, Sung Hi; Yu, Yongjae; Pham, Trung Hieu; Nguyen, Kim Hoang; Ryu, Jong-Sik

2018-01-01

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the major and trace element, mineral, and Sr, Nd, Pb and Mg isotopic compositions of late Cenozoic intraplate basaltic rocks from central and southern Vietnam. The Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of these basalts define a tight linear array between Indian mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)-like mantle and enriched mantle type 2 (EM2) components. These basaltic rocks contain low concentrations of CaO (6.4-9.7 wt%) and have high Fe/Mn ratios (> 60) and FeO/CaO-3MgO/SiO2 values (> 0.54), similar to partial melts derived from pyroxenite/eclogite sources. This similarity is also supported by the composition of olivine within these samples, which contains low concentration of Ca and high concentrations of Ni, and shows high Fe/Mn ratios. The basaltic rocks have elevated Dy/Yb ratios that fall within the range of melts derived from garnet lherzolite material, although their Yb contents are much higher than those of modeled melts derived from only garnet lherzolite material and instead plot near the modeled composition of eclogite-derived melts. The Vietnamese basaltic rocks have lighter δ26Mg values (- 0.38 ± 0.06‰) than is expected for the normal mantle (- 0.25 ± 0.07‰), and these values decrease with decreasing Hf/Hf* and Ti/Ti* ratios, indicating that these basalts were derived from a source containing carbonate material. On primitive mantle-normalized multi-element variation diagrams, the central Vietnamese basalts are characterized by positive Sr, Eu, and Ba anomalies. These basalts also plot within the pelagic sediment field in Pbsbnd Pb isotopic space. This suggests that the mantle source of the basalts contained both garnet peridotite and recycled oceanic crust. A systematic analysis of variations in geochemical composition in basalts from southern to central Vietnam indicates that the recycled oceanic crust (possibly the paleo-Pacific slab) source material contains varying proportions of gabbro, basalt, and sediment. The basalts from south-central Vietnam (12°N-14°N) may be dominated by the lowest portion of the residual slab that contains rutile-bearing plagioclase-rich gabbroic eclogite, whereas the uppermost portion of the recycled slab, including sediment and basaltic material with small amounts of gabbro, may be a major constituent of the source for the basalts within the central region of Vietnam (14°N-16°N). Finally, the southern region (10°N-12°N) contains basalts sourced mainly from recycled upper oceanic crust that is basalt-rich and contains little or no sediment.

An image of the Columbia Plateau from inversion of high-resolution seismic data

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

Lutter, W.J.; Catchings, R.D.; Jarchow, C.M.

1994-08-01

The authors use a method of traveltime inversion of high-resolution seismic data to provide the first reliable images of internal details of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), the subsurface basalt/sediment interface, and the deeper sediment/basement interface. Velocity structure within the basalts, delineated on the order of 1 km horizontally and 0.2 km vertically, is constrained to within [plus minus]0.1 km/s for most of the seismic profile. Over 5,000 observed traveltimes fit their model with an rms error of 0.018 s. The maximum depth of penetration of the basalt diving waves (truncated by underlying low-velocity sediments) provides a reliable estimatemore » of the depth to the base of the basalt, which agrees with well-log measurements to within 0.05 km (165 ft). The authors use image blurring, calculated from the resolution matrix, to estimate the aspect ratio of images velocity anomaly widths to true widths for velocity features within the basalt. From their calculations of image blurring, they interpret low velocity zones (LVZ) within the basalts at Boylston Mountain and the Whiskey Dick anticline to have widths of 4.5 and 3 km, respectively, within the upper 1.5 km of the model. At greater depth, the widths of these imaged LVZs thin to approximately 2 km or less. They interpret these linear, subparallel, low-velocity zones imaged adjacent to anticlines of the Yakima Fold Belt to be brecciated fault zones. These fault zones dip to the south at angles between 15 to 45 degrees.« less

Mantle plume capture, anchoring and outflow during ridge interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, S. A.; Richards, M. A.; Geist, D.

2015-12-01

Geochemical and geophysical studies have shown that >40% of the world's mantle plumes are currently interacting with the global ridge system and such interactions may continue for up to 180 Myr[1]. At sites of plume-ridge interaction up to 1400 km of the spreading centre is influenced by dispersed plume material but there are few constraints on how and where the ridge-ward transfer of deep-sourced material occurs, and also how it is sustained over long time intervals. Galápagos is an archetypal example of an off-axis plume and sheds important light on these mechanisms. The Galápagos plume stem is located ~200 km south of the spreading axis and its head influences 1000 km of the ridge. Nevertheless, the site of enriched basalts, greatest crustal thickness and elevated topography on the ridge, together with active volcanism in the archipelago, correlate with a narrow zone (~150 km) of low-velocity, high-temperature mantle that connects the plume stem and ridge at depths of ~100 km[2]. The enriched ridge basalts contain a greater amount of partially-dehydrated, recycled oceanic crust than basalts elsewhere on the spreading axis, or indeed basalts erupted in the region between the plume stem and ridge. The presence of these relatively volatile-rich ridge basalts requires flow of plume material below the peridotite solidus (i.e.>80 km). We propose a 2-stage model for the development and sustainment of a confined zone of deep ridge-ward plume flow. This involves initial on-axis capture and establishment of a sub-ridge channel of plume flow. Subsequent anchoring of the plume stem to a contact point on the ridge during axis migration results in confined ridge-ward flow of plume material via a deep network of melt channels embedded in the normal spreading and advection of the plume head[2]. Importantly, sub-ridge flow is maintained. The physical parameters and styles of mantle flow we have defined for Galápagos are less-well known at other sites of plume-ridge interactions, e.g. Tristan, Amsterdam. The observations require a more dynamically complex model than proposed by most studies, which rely on radial solid-state outflow of heterogeneous plume material to the ridge. [1] Whittaker JM et al (2015) Nature Geosci 10.1038/ngeo2437 [2]Gibson SA, Geist DG & Richards MA (2015) Geochem Geophys Geosyst 10.1002/2015GC005723

Geochemical evolution of Kohala Volcano, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Frey, F.A.

1987-01-01

Kohala Volcano, the oldest of five shield volcanoes comprising the island of Hawaii, consists of a basalt shield dominated by tholeiitic basalt, Pololu Volcanics, overlain by alkalic lavas, Hawi Volcanics. In the upper Pololu Volcanics the lavas become more enriched in incompatible elements, and there is a transition from tholeiitic to alkalic basalt. In contrast, the Hawi volcanics consist of hawaiites, mugearites, and trachytes. 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 14 Pololu basalts and 5 Hawi lavas range from 0.70366 to 0.70392 and 0.70350 to 0.70355, respectively. This small but distinct difference in Sr isotopic composition of different lava types, especially the lower 87Sr/86Sr in the younger lavas with higher Rb/Sr, has been found at other Hawaiian volcanoes. Our data do not confirm previous data indicating Sr isotopic homogeneity among lavas from Kohala Volcano. Also some abundance trends, such as MgO-P2O5, are not consistent with a simple genetic relationship between Pololu and Hawi lavas. We conclude that all Kohala lavas were not produced by equilibrium partial melting of a compositionally homogeneous source. ?? 1987 Springer-Verlag.

Sub-Seafloor Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential on the Juan de Fuca Plate, Western North America

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

Jerry Fairley; Robert Podgorney

2012-11-01

The Juan de Fuca plate, off the western coast of North America, has been suggested as a site for geological sequestration of waste carbon dioxide because of its many attractive characteristics (high permeability, large storage capacity, reactive rock types). Here we model CO2 injection into fractured basalts comprising the upper several hundred meters of the sub-seafloor basalt reservoir, overlain with low-permeability sediments and a large saline water column, to examine the feasibility of this reservoir for CO2 storage. Our simulations indicate that the sub-seafloor basalts of the Juan de Fuca plate may be an excellent CO2 storage candidate, as multiplemore » trapping mechanisms (hydrodynamic, density inversions, and mineralization) act to keep the CO2 isolated from terrestrial environments. Questions remain about the lateral extent and connectivity of the high permeability basalts; however, the lack of wells or boreholes and thick sediment cover maximize storage potential while minimizing potential leakage pathways. Although promising, more study is needed to determine the economic viability of this option.« less

Miocene and Pliocene lacustrine and fluvial sequences, Upper Ramparts and Canyon village, Porcupine river, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fouch, T.D.; Carter, L.D.; Kunk, Michael J.; Smith, C.A.S.; White, J.M.

1994-01-01

Cenozoic strata exposed along the Porcupine River between the Upper Ramparts and Canyon Village, Alaska, can be divided into five unconformity-bounded units (sequences) which are: lower and middle Miocene unit A, the white sandy fluvial sequence with peat beds; middle Miocene unit B, the basalt sequence-part B1 is basalt, and part B2 is organic-rich sedimentary beds; upper Miocene unit C, mudrock-dominated lake sequence; late Miocene or Pliocene to Pleistocene unit D, terrace gravels, detrital organic matter and associated sediments, and Holocene unit E, mixed sand and gravel-rich sediment and other sedimentary material including peat and eolian silt. The sequence (unit A) of lower and middle Miocene fluvial deposits formed in streams and on flood plains, just before the inception of local volanism. Fossil pollen from unit A suggests conifer-dominated regional forests and cool temperate climates. Peat beds and lake deposits from unit B contain pollen that indicates a warmer temperate climate coinciding with the middle Miocene thermal maximum. The lake deposits (unit C) downstream from the basalts accumulated in a small basin which resulted from a hydrologic system that was dammed in the late Miocene but breached soon thereafter. The lower part of the terrace gravels (unit D) expresses breaching of the dammed hydrologic system (of unit C). The Porcupine River became a major tributary of the Yukon River in late Pleistocene time when Laurentide ice blocked drainage from the Yukon interior basins causing meltwater to spill over the low divide separating it from the Porcupine River drainage initiating erosion and capture of the Yukon interior basins. ?? 1994.

Revised hydrogeologic framework of the Floridan aquifer system in the northern coastal area of Georgia and adjacent parts of South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Lester J.; Gill, Harold E.

2010-01-01

The hydrogeologic framework for the Floridan aquifer system has been revised for eight northern coastal counties in Georgia and five coastal counties in South Carolina by incorporating new borehole geophysical and flowmeter log data collected during previous investigations. Selected well logs were compiled and analyzed to determine the vertical and horizontal continuity of permeable zones that make up the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers and to define more precisely the thickness of confining beds that separate these aquifers. The updated framework generally conforms to the original framework established by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1980s except for adjustments made to the internal boundaries of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers and the individual permeable zones that compose these aquifers. The revised boundaries of the Floridan aquifer system were mapped by taking into account results from local studies and regional correlations of geologic and hydrogeologic units. Because the revised framework does not match the previous regional framework along all edges, additional work will be needed to expand the framework into adjacent areas. The Floridan aquifer system in the northern coastal region of Georgia and parts of South Carolina can be divided into the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers, which are separated by a middle confining unit of relatively lower permeability. The Upper Floridan aquifer includes permeable and hydraulically connected carbonate rocks of Oligocene and upper Eocene age that represent the most transmissive part of the aquifer system. The middle confining unit consists of low permeability carbonate rocks that lie within the lower part of the upper Eocene in Beaufort and Jasper Counties, South Carolina, and within the upper to middle parts of the middle Eocene elsewhere. Locally, the middle confining unit contains thin zones that have moderate to high permeability and can produce water to wells that tap them. The Lower Floridan aquifer includes all permeable strata that lie below the middle confining unit and above the base of the aquifer system. Beneath Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the middle Floridan aquifer is now included as part of the Lower Floridan aquifer. The base of the Floridan aquifer system generally is located at the top of lower Eocene rocks in Georgia and the top of Paleocene rocks in South Carolina. The Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers are interconnected to varying degrees depending on the thickness and permeability of the middle confining unit that separates these aquifers. In most places, hydraulic head differences between the two aquifers range from a few inches to a few feet or more. Monitoring at several vertically clustered well-point sites where wells were set at different depths in the aquifer revealed variations in the degree of hydraulic separation with depth. In general, the head separation between the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers increases with depth, which indicates that the deeper zones are more hydraulically separated than the shallower parts of the Lower Floridan aquifer.

Mineral resources of the Little Black Peak and Carrizozo Lava Flow wilderness study areas, Lincoln County, New Mexico

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

Stoeser, D.B.; Senterfit, M.K.; Zelten, J.E.

1989-01-01

This book discusses the Little Black Peak and Carrizozo Lava Flow Wilderness Study Areas in east-central New Mexico (24,249 acres) which are underlain by Quaternary basaltic lava flows and upper Paleozoic to Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The only identified resource is lava from the basalt flows, which is used for road metal, construction materials, and decorative stone. The basalt is classed as an inferred subeconomic resource. Both areas have low resource potential for sediment-hosted uranium and copper oil, gas, coal, and geothermal energy and moderate potential for gypsum and salt. The Little Black Peak area also has low potential for uraniummore » associated with Tertiary alkaline intrusive rocks. Two aeromagnetic anomalies occur beneath the northern part of the Carrizozo lava flow area and the southern part of the Little Black Peak area; the resource potential for these rocks is unknown.« less

Groundwater conditions and studies in the Augusta–Richmond County area, Georgia, 2008–2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonthier, Gerard; Lawrence, Stephen J.; Peck, Michael F.; Holloway, O. Gary

2011-01-01

Groundwater studies and monitoring efforts conducted during 2008–2009, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative Water Program with the City of Augusta in Richmond County, Georgia, provided data for the effective management of local water resources. During 2008–2009 the USGS completed: (1) installation of three monitoring wells and the collection of lithologic and geophysical logging data to determine the extent of hydrogeologic units, (2) collection of continuous groundwater-level data from wells near Well Fields 2 and 3, (3) collection of synoptic groundwater-level measurements and construction of potentiometric-surface maps in Richmond County to establish flow gradients and groundwater-flow directions in the Dublin and Midville aquifer systems, (4) completion of a 24-hour aquifer test to determine hydraulic characteristics of the lower Dublin aquifer, and upper and lower Midville aquifers in Well Field 2, and (5) collection of groundwater samples from selected wells in Well Field 2 for laboratory analysis of volatile organic compounds and groundwater tracers to assess groundwater quality and estimate the time of groundwater recharge. Potentiometric-surface maps of the Dublin and Midville aquifer systems for 2008–2009 indicate that the general groundwater flow direction within Richmond County is eastward toward the Savannah River, with the exception of the area around Well Field 2, where pumping interrupts the eastward flow of water toward the Savannah River and causes flow lines to bend toward the center of pumping. Results from a 24-hour aquifer test conducted in 2009 within the upper and lower Midville aquifers at Well Field 2 indicated a transmissivity and storativity for the upper and lower Midville aquifers, combined, of 4,000 feet-squared per day and 2x10-4, respectively. The upper and lower Midville aquifers and the middle lower Midville confining unit, which is 85-feet thick in this area, yielded horizontal hydraulic conductivity and specific storage values of about 45 feet per day and 2x10-6 ft-1, respectively. Results from the 24-hour aquifer test also indicate a low horizontal hydraulic conductivity for the lower Dublin aquifer of less than 1 foot per day. Of the 35 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analyzed in 23 groundwater samples during 2008–2009, only six were detected above laboratory reporting limits in samples from eight wells. No concentration in groundwater samples collected during 2008–2009 exceeded drinking water standards. Trichloroethene had the maximum VOC concentration (1.9 micrograms per liter) collected from a water sample during 2008–2009. Water-quality sampling of several wells near Well Field 2 indicate that, while in operation, the northernmost production well might have diverted groundwater, containing low levels of trichloroethene from at least two other production wells. Analysis of sulfur hexafluoride data indicate the average year of recharge ranges between 1981 and 1984 for water samples from five wells open to the upper and lower Midville aquifers, and 1991 for a water sample from one shallow well open to the lower Dublin aquifer. All of these ages suggest a short flow path and nearby source of contamination. The actual source of low levels of VOCs at Well Field 2 remains unknown. Three newly installed monitoring wells indicate that hydrogeologic units beneath Well Fields 2 and 3 are composed of sand and clay layers. Hydrogeologic units, encountered at Well Field 2, in order of increasing depth are the lower Dublin confining unit, lower Dublin aquifer, upper Midville confining unit, upper Midville aquifer, lower Midville confining unit, and lower Midville aquifer. West of Well Field 3, hydrogeologic units, in order of increasing depth are the Upper Three Runs aquifer, Gordon confining unit, Gordon aquifer, lower Dublin confining unit, lower Dublin aquifer, upper Midville confining unit, upper Midville aquifer, lower Midville confining unit, and lower Midville aquifer.

Ground-water hydrology of the Willamette basin, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conlon, Terrence D.; Wozniak, Karl C.; Woodcock, Douglas; Herrera, Nora B.; Fisher, Bruce J.; Morgan, David S.; Lee, Karl K.; Hinkle, Stephen R.

2005-01-01

The Willamette Basin encompasses a drainage of 12,000 square miles and is home to approximately 70 percent of Oregon's population. Agriculture and population are concentrated in the lowland, a broad, relatively flat area between the Coast and Cascade Ranges. Annual rainfall is high, with about 80 percent of precipitation falling from October through March and less than 5 percent falling in July and August, the peak growing season. Population growth and an increase in cultivation of crops needing irrigation have produced a growing seasonal demand for water. Because many streams are administratively closed to new appropriations in summer, ground water is the most likely source for meeting future water demand. This report describes the current understanding of the regional ground-water flow system, and addresses the effects of ground-water development. This study defines seven regional hydrogeologic units in the Willamette Basin. The highly permeable High Cascade unit consists of young volcanic material found at the surface along the crest of the Cascade Range. Four sedimentary hydrogeologic units fill the lowland between the Cascade and Coast Ranges. Young, highly permeable coarse-grained sediments of the upper sedimentary unit have a limited extent in the floodplains of the major streams and in part of the Portland Basin. Extending over much of the lowland where the upper sedimentary unit does not occur, silts and clays of the Willamette silt unit act as a confining unit. The middle sedimentary unit, consisting of permeable coarse-grained material, occurs beneath the Willamette silt and upper sedimentary units and at the surface as terraces in the lowland. Beneath these units is the lower sedimentary unit, which consists of predominantly fine-grained sediments. In the northern part of the basin, lavas of the Columbia River basalt unit occur at the surface in uplands and beneath the basin-fill sedimentary units. The Columbia River basalt unit contains multiple productive water-bearing zones. A basement confining unit of older marine and volcanic rocks of low permeability underlies the basin and occurs at land surface in the Coast Range and western part of the Cascade Range. Most recharge in the basin is from infiltration of precipitation, and the spatial distribution of recharge mimics the distribution of precipitation, which increases with elevation. Basinwide annual mean recharge is estimated to be 22 inches. Rain and snowmelt easily recharge into the permeable High Cascade unit and discharge within the High Cascade area. Most recharge in the Coast Range and western part of the Cascade Range follows short flowpaths through the upper part of the low permeability material and discharges to streams within the mountains. Consequently, recharge in the Coast and Ranges is not available as lateral ground-water flow into the lowland, where most ground-water use occurs. Within the lowland, annual mean recharge is 16 inches and most recharge occurs from November to April, when rainfall is large and evapotranspiration is small. From May to October recharge is negligible because precipitation is small and evapotranspiration is large. Discharge of ground water is mainly to streams. Ground-water discharge is a relatively large component of flow in streams that drain the High Cascade unit and parts of the Portland Basin where permeable units are at the surface. In streams that do not head in the High Cascade area, streamflow is generally dominated by runoff of precipitation. Ground-water in the permeable units in the lowland discharges to the major streams where there is a good hydraulic connection between aquifers and streams. Ground-water discharge to smaller streams, which flow on the less permeable Willamette silt unit, is small and mostly from the Willamette silt unit. Most ground-water withdrawals occur within the lowland. Irrigation is the largest use of ground water, accounting for 240,000 acre feet of withdrawals, or 81 p

High Precision 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of Servilleta Basalts of the Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosca, M. A.; Thompson, R. A.; Turner, K. J.

2014-12-01

New geologic mapping and high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology within the Taos Plateau in northern New Mexico indicate a period of vigorous volcanic activity between ~5.5 and ~1 Ma. Over 50 visible volcanic centers formed during this time together with an unresolved number of vents, fissures, and volcanic centers buried by intercalated volcanic rock and sedimentary basin fill. Defining the volcanic stratigraphy is essential for models of regional groundwater flow and for understanding the geologic evolution of the Pliocene to Recent Rio Grande rift. A spectacular stratigraphic section of volcanic rock related to Rio Grande rifting is visible from the High Bridge, just a few miles outside of Taos, NM, where a 240 m canyon is incised through the basal, middle, and upper Servilleta basalt flow packages (Dungan et al., 1984). Fresh basalt from a vertical transect of the canyon near the High Bridge were analyzed by 40Ar/39Ar methods on ~3 mm3 rock fragments using an ARGUS VI mass spectrometer and the resulting 40Ar/39Ar ages define a precise emplacement chronology of the entire stratigraphic section. The basal flow package records ages of 4.78 ± 0.03 Ma (relative to FCT sanidine = 28.204 Ma; all errors 2 sigma) at river level, 4.77 ± 0.03 Ma at mid flow, and 4.50 ± 0.04 Ma at the top of the flow. The middle flow package records ages of 4.11 ± 0.03 Ma at the base of the flow, 4.08 ± 0.04 Ma mid flow, and 4.02 ± 0.06 Ma at the top of the flow. The upper basalt package records ages of 3.69 ± 0.06 Ma at the base of the flow and 3.59 ± 0.08 Ma at the top of the flow. These data support rapid effusion of voluminous lava flows on time scales of 100-200 ka. Two reddish paleosols separating the Servilleta packages each developed during a 400 ka period of volcanic quiescence. First order calculations using exposed lava thicknesses in the gorge and areal exposures suggest each flow package represents emplacement of ~200 km3 of basalt. Because no exposed vent of appropriate age has been identified that could produce such basalt volumes, the Servilleta basalts probably erputed from buried vents and/or fissures, possibly oriented along the northwest trending fault systems defining the Rio Grande rift graben.

Alkalic Lavas From Nintoku Seamount, Emperor Seamount Chain: Geochemistry of Hawaiian Post-Shield Magmatism at 55 Ma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafer, J. T.; Gudding, J. A.; Neal, C. R.; Regelous, M.

2002-12-01

Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) Leg 197, Site 1205 penetrated 283 m into the volcanic basement of Nintoku Seamount, which is located roughly half-way along the Emperor Seamount Chain and has been dated at approximately 55-56 Ma by 40Ar-39Ar (R. Duncan, pers. comm., 2002). 25 subaerially-erupted lava flows, together with interflow sediments and soil horizons, were recovered. We report major and trace element compositions of 33 rock samples spanning the entire lava sequence and hawaiite clasts from a conglomerate immediately overlying the igneous basement. The volcanic rocks at Site 1205 are dominantly alkalic to intermediate basalts with between 5 and 11% MgO, with the degree of alkalinity generally increasing up-section, and the eruption rate (inferred from the thickness and abundance of interflow soils) appears to have decreased with time. Two flows in the lower half of the hole are tholeiitic and divide the section into two different alkalic basalt series. One of these flows contains accumulated olivine crystals and has a picritic composition. The upper alkalic series generally becomes enriched in the highly incompatible elements (ITEs) up-section from the tholeiitic units and is overlain by a conglomerate that contains cobbles of hawaiite that are highly enriched in ITEs. Normalized patterns are subparallel to those of the upper series of alkalic basalts, suggesting the hawaiites may be related by fractional crystallization. The lower alkalic series contains basalts that are among the most ITE enriched of the recovered basement sequence, but does not show the same variations as the upper series. The petrology of the Site 1205 lavas is very similar to those of lavas erupted during the later evolutionary stages of young volcanoes from the Hawaiian Islands and were probably all erupted during the post-shield alkalic stage; at Nintoku the post-shield alkalic cap appears to be relatively thick (at least 300m) compared to many other Hawaiian volcanoes, but is similar to that of Mauna Kea and Haleakala. Fractionation of the observed phenocryst phases (olivine and plagioclase) was responsible for much of the compositional variation within the Nintoku basaltic lavas, and the low Sc concentrations of the hawaiites show that they have also fractionated clinopyroxene. However, variations in incompatible trace element ratios indicate that the lavas cannot all be related by crystal fractionation from a single parental magma. Nintoku lavas exhibit broad similarities in major and trace element compositions of post-shield lavas from the Hawaiian Islands. For example, La/Yb ratios of the 1205 basalts (5-13) are similar to those of alkali basalts from Mauna Kea (5-12), but lower than those from Haleakala (12-17). However, distinct differences also occur. Nintoku lavas have relatively low Zr concentrations, so that they plot below the main Hawaiian array on a Zr/Nb-La/Yb diagram. Previous studies have show that lavas from the oldest Emperor Seamounts have relatively depleted incompatible trace element compositions; our data suggest that by 56 Ma, lavas erupted above the Hawaiian Hotspot were essentially similar to young (<5 Ma) lavas from the Hawaiian Islands.

Compositional mantle layering revealed by slab stagnation at ~1000-km depth

PubMed Central

Ballmer, Maxim D.; Schmerr, Nicholas C.; Nakagawa, Takashi; Ritsema, Jeroen

2015-01-01

Improved constraints on lower-mantle composition are fundamental to understand the accretion, differentiation, and thermochemical evolution of our planet. Cosmochemical arguments indicate that lower-mantle rocks may be enriched in Si relative to upper-mantle pyrolite, whereas seismic tomography images suggest whole-mantle convection and hence appear to imply efficient mantle mixing. This study reconciles cosmochemical and geophysical constraints using the stagnation of some slab segments at ~1000-km depth as the key observation. Through numerical modeling of subduction, we show that lower-mantle enrichment in intrinsically dense basaltic lithologies can render slabs neutrally buoyant in the uppermost lower mantle. Slab stagnation (at depths of ~660 and ~1000 km) and unimpeded slab sinking to great depths can coexist if the basalt fraction is ~8% higher in the lower mantle than in the upper mantle, equivalent to a lower-mantle Mg/Si of ~1.18. Global-scale geodynamic models demonstrate that such a moderate compositional gradient across the mantle can persist can in the presence of whole-mantle convection. PMID:26824060

Detrital Cr-spinel in the Šambron-Kamenica Zone (Slovakia): evidence for an ocean-spreading zone in the Northern Vardar suture?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenaz, Davide; Mazzoli, Claudio; Spišiak, Jan; Princivalle, Francesco; Maritan, Lara

2009-03-01

The Šambron-Kamenica Zone is situated on the northern margin of the Levočské vrchy mountains and Šarišskà vrchovina Highland, where the Central Carpathian Paleogene joins the Pieniny Klippen Belt. Sandstone outcrops in this area. From Cretaceous to Late Oligocene in age, these sediments suggest transport directions from S and SE. The heavy mineral assemblages of this sandstone include Cr-spinel grains, mainly displaying types II and III alpine-peridotite affinities, and are representative of Ocean Island Basalt volcanism. A sample from Upper Eocene sediments at Vit’az shows a clear change in Cr-spinel composition, which turns out to have types I and II peridotite affinities, and to derive from arc and Middle Ocean Ridge Basalt volcanism, with sediment transport directions from SW and WSW. These data indicate major variations in the Upper Eocene tectonic setting, giving constraints to paleogeographic reconstruction of the Slovak Central Carpathians.

Carbon fixation in oceanic crust: Does it happen, and is it important?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orcutt, B.; Sylvan, J. B.; Rogers, D.; Lee, R.; Girguis, P. R.; Carr, S. A.; Jungbluth, S.; Rappe, M. S.

2014-12-01

The carbon sources supporting a deep biosphere in igneous oceanic crust, and furthermore the balance of heterotrophy and autotrophy, are poorly understood. When the large reservoir size of oceanic crust is considered, carbon transformations in this environment have the potential to significantly impact the global carbon cycle. Furthermore, igneous oceanic crust is the most massive potential habitat for life on Earth, so understanding the carbon sources for this potential biosphere are important for understanding life on Earth. Geochemical evidence suggests that warm and anoxic upper basement is net heterotrophic, but the balance of these processes in cooler and potentially oxic oceanic crust are poorly known. Here, we present data from stable carbon isotope tracer incubations to examine carbon fixation in basalts collected from the Loihi Seamount, the Juan de Fuca Ridge, and the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to provide a first order constraint on the rates of carbon fixation on basalts. These data will be compared to recently available assessments of carbon cycling rates in fluids from upper basement to synthesize our current state of understanding of the potential for carbon fixation and respiration in oceanic crust. Moreover, we will present new genomic data of carbon fixation genes observed in the basalt enrichments as well as from the subsurface of the Juan de Fuca Ridge flank, enabling identification of the microbes and metabolic pathways involved in carbon fixation in these systems.

Isotopic and trace element compositions of upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths, Cima volcanic field, California: Implications for evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mukasa, S.B.; Wilshire, H.G.

1997-01-01

Ultramafic and mafic xenoliths from the Cima volcanic field, southern California, provide evidence of episodic modification of the upper mantle and underplating of the crust beneath a portion of the southern Basin and Range province. The upper mantle xenoliths include spinel peridotite and anhydrous and hydrous pyroxenite, some cut by igneous-textured pyroxenite-gabbro veins and dikes and some by veins of amphibole ?? plagioclase. Igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros like the dike rocks also occur abundantly as isolated xenoliths inferred to represent underplated crust. Mineral and whole rock trace element compositions among and within the different groups of xenoliths are highly variable, reflecting multiple processes that include magma-mantle wall rock reactions, episodic intrusion and it filtration of basaltic melts of varied sources into the mantle wall rock, and fractionation. Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions mostly of clinopyroxene and plagioclase mineral separates show distinct differences between mantle xenoliths (??Nd = -5.7 to +3.4; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7051 - 0.7073; 206Pb/204Pb = 19.045 - 19.195) and the igneous-textured xenoliths (??Nd = +7.7 to +11.7; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7027 - 0.7036 with one carbonate-affected outlier at 0.7054; and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.751 - 19.068), so that they cannot be related. The igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros are similar in their isotopic compositions to the host basaltic rocks, which have ??Nd of+5.1 to +9.3; 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7028 - 0.7050, and 206Pb/204Pb of 18.685 - 21.050. The igneous-textured pyroxenites and gabbros are therefore inferred to be related to the host rocks as earlier cogenetic intrusions in the mantle and in the lower crust. Two samples of peridotite, one modally metasomatized by amphibole and the other by plagioclase, have isotopic compositions intermediate between the igneous-textured xenoliths and the mantle rock, suggesting mixing, but also derivation of the metasomatizing magmas from two separate and distinct sources. Sm-Nd two-mineral "isochrons" yield apparent ages for petrographically identical rocks believed to be coeval ranging from -0 to 113 ?? 26 Ma, indicating the unreliability of dating these rocks with this method. Amphibole and plagioclase megacrysts are isotopically like the host basalts and probably originate by mechanical breakup of veins comagmatic with the host basaltic rocks. Unlike other Basin and Range localities, Cima Cr-diopside group isotopic compositions do not overlap with those of the host basalts. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.

Hydrologeology and water quality of the Floridan aquifer system and effect of Lower Floridan aquifer pumping on the Upper Floridan aquifer, Pooler, Chatham County, Georgia, 2011–2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonthier, Gerard

2012-01-01

Two test wells were completed in Pooler, Georgia, in 2011 to investigate the potential of using the Lower Floridan aquifer as a source of water for municipal use. One well was completed in the Lower Floridan aquifer at a depth of 1,120 feet (ft) below land surface; the other well was completed in the Upper Floridan aquifer at a depth of 486 ft below land surface. At the Pooler test site, the U.S. Geological Survey performed flowmeter surveys, packer-isolated slug tests within the Lower Floridan confining unit, slug tests of the entire Floridan aquifer system, and aquifer tests of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers. Drill cuttings, geophysical logs, and borehole flowmeter surveys indicate that the Upper Floridan aquifer extends 333 –515 ft below land surface, the Lower Floridan confining unit extends 515–702 ft below land surface, and the Lower Floridan aquifer extends 702–1,040 ft below land surface. Flowmeter surveys indicate that the Upper Floridan aquifer contains two water-bearing zones at depth intervals of 339 –350 and 375–515 ft; the Lower Floridan confining unit contains one zone at a depth interval of 550–620 ft; and the Lower Floridan aquifer contains five zones at depth intervals of 702–745, 745–925, 925–984, 984–1,015, and 1,015–1,040 ft. Flowmeter testing of the test borehole open to the entire Floridan aquifer system indicated that the Upper Floridan aquifer contributed 92.4 percent of the total flow rate of 708 gallons per minute; the Lower Floridan confining unit contributed 3.0 percent; and the Lower Floridan aquifer contributed 4.6 percent. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the Lower Floridan confining unit derived from slug tests within three packer-isolated intervals ranged from 0.5 to 10 feet per day (ft/d). Aquifer-test analyses yielded values of transmissivity for the Upper Floridan aquifer, Lower Floridan confining unit, and the Lower Floridan aquifer of 46,000, 700, and 4,000 feet squared per day (ft2/d), respectively. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of 4 ft/d for the Lower Floridan confining unit, derived from aquifer-test analyses, is near the midrange for values derived from packer-isolated slug tests. The transmissivity of the entire Floridan aquifer system derived from aquifer-test analyses totals about 51,000 ft2/d, similar to the value of 58,000 ft2/d derived from open slug tests on the entire Floridan aquifer system. Water-level data for each aquifer test were filtered for external influences such as barometric pressure, earth-tide effects, and long-term trends to enable detection of small (less than 1 foot) water-level responses to aquifer-test pumping. During the 72-hour aquifer test of pumping the Lower Floridan aquifer, a drawdown response of 51.7 ft was observed in the Lower Floridan pumped well and a drawdown response of 0.9 foot was observed in the Upper Floridan observation well located 85 ft from the pumped well.

Late Cenozoic structure and stratigraphy of south-central Washington

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

Reidel, S.P.; Campbell, N.P.; Fecht, K.R.

1993-09-01

The structural framework of the Columbia Basin began developing before Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) volcanism. Prior to 17.5 Ma, the eastern part of the basin was a relatively stable area, with a basement of Paleozoic and older crystalline rock. The western part was an area of subsidence in which large volumes of sediment and volcanic rocks accumulated. Concurrent with eruption of the CRBG, anticlinal ridges of the Yakima Fold Belt (YFB) were growing under north-south compression. Topographic expression of these features was later masked by the large volume of CRBG basalt flowing west from fissures in the eastern Columbiamore » Basin. The folds continued to develop after cessation of volcanism, leading to as much as 1,000 m of structural relief in the past 10 million years. Post-CRBG evolution of the Columbia Basin is recorded principally in folding and faulting in the YFB and sediments deposited in the basins. The accompanying tectonism resulted in lateral migration of major depositional systems into subsiding structural lows. Although known late Cenozoic faults are on anticlinal ridges, earthquake focal mechanisms and contemporary strain measurements indicate most stress release is occurring in the synclinal areas under north-south compression. There is no obvious correlation between focal mechanisms for earthquakes whose foci are in the CRBG and the location of known faults. High in situ stress values help to explain the occurrence of microseismicity in the Columbia Basin but not the pattern. Microseismicity appears to occur in unaltered fresh basalt. Faulted basalt associated with the YFB is highly brecciated and commonly altered to clay. The high stress, abundance of ground water in confined aquifers of the CRBG, and altered basalt in fault zones suggest that the frontal faults on the anticlinal ridges probably have some aseismic deformation. 85 refs.« less

The Tricky Business of Identifying Rocks on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G. J.

2002-05-01

The Mars Global Surveyor mission carries a remote-sensing gizmo called the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES). TES detects heat waves flowing from the surface of the Red Planet. The TES team, led by Phil Christensen (Arizona State University), identified two large regions on Mars that have distinctive spectral properties. Using mathematical mixing calculations based on the thermal emission spectra of numerous materials, the TES team reported in papers led by Josh Bandfield and Victoria Hamilton that the two regions had mineral abundances similar to basalt (Surface Type 1) and andesite (Surface Type 2), two common volcanic rock types on Earth. Andesite has more silicon than does basalt, giving rise to a distinctive mineralogy. Scientists had mixed reactions to the possibility of andesite on Mars, greeting the news with fascination, consternation, or skepticism. One question raised is how uniquely the spectra of Surface Type 2 matches andesite. Michael Wyatt and Harry Y. McSween (University of Tennessee) have taken another look at the TES spectra by using a larger collection of aqueous alteration (weathering) products in the spectral mixing calculations. They show that weathered basalt also matches the spectral properties of Surface Type 2. Wyatt and McSween also note that Type 2 regions are generally confined to a large, low region that is the site of a purported Martian ocean that sloshed around billions of years ago. They suggest that basalts like those in Surface Type 1 were altered in the ancient Martian sea. Independent data are needed to test the andesite vs. altered-basalt hypotheses. For now, we may have to be satisfied with at least two working hypotheses and a lively debate.

Basal Adare volcanics, Robertson Bay, North Victoria Land, Antarctica: Late Miocene intraplate basalts of subaqueous origin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mortimer, N.; Dunlap, W.J.; Isaac, M.J.; Sutherland, R.P.; Faure, K.

2007-01-01

Late Cenozoic lavas and associated hyaloclastite breccias of the Adare volcanics (Hallett volcanic province) in Robertson Bay, North Victoria Land rest unconformably on Paleozoic greywackes. Abundant hyaloclastite breccias are confined to a paleovalley; their primary geological features, and the stable isotope ratios of secondary minerals, are consistent with eruption in a subaqueous environment with calcite formation probably involving seawater. In contrast, the lavas which stratigraphically overlie the hyaloclastites on Mayr Spur probably were erupted subaerially. K-Ar dating of eight samples from this basal sequence confirms the known older age limit (Late Miocene) of the Hallett volcanic province. Geochemical data reveal an ocean island basalt-like affinity, similar to other Cenozoic igneous rocks of the Hallett volcanic province. If a submarine eruptive paleoenvironment is accepted then there has been net tectonic or isostatic post-Late Miocene uplift of a few hundred metres in the Robertson Bay-Adare Peninsula area

Scarps Confined to Crater Floors

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-15

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows several scarps, which appear to be confined to crater floors. The scarp in the crater at the upper left of the image has been diverted by the central peaks.

General geology and ground-water resources of the island of Maui, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stearns, Harold T.; Macdonald, Gordon Andrew

1942-01-01

Maui, the second largest island in the Hawaiian group, is 48 miles long, 26 miles wide, and covers 728 square miles. The principal town is Wailuku. Sugar cane and pineapples are the principal crops. Water is used chiefly for irrigating cane. The purpose of the investigation was to study the geology and the ground-water resources of the island.Maui was built by two volcanoes. East Maui or Haleakala Volcano is 10,025 feet high and famous for its so-called crater, which is a section of Hawaii National Park. Evidence is given to show that it is the head of two amphitheater-headed valleys in which numerous secondary eruptions have occurred and that it is not a crater, caldera, or eroded caldera. West Maui is a deeply dissected volcano 5,788 feet high. The flat Isthmus connecting the two volcanoes was made by lavas from East Maui banking against the West Maui Mountains. Plate 1 shows the geology, wells, springs, and water-development tunnels. Plate 2 is a map and description of points of geologic interest along the main highways. Volcanic terms used in the report are briefly defined. A synopsis of the climate is included and a record of the annual rainfall at all stations is given also. Puu Kukui, on West Maui, has an average annual rainfall of 389 inches and it lies just six miles from Olowalu where only 2 inches of rain fell in 1928, the lowest ever recorded in the Hawaiian Islands. The second rainiest place in the Territory is Kuhiwa Gulch on East Maui where 523 inches fell during 1937. Rainfall averages 2,360 million gallons daily on East Maui and 580 on West Maui. Ground water at the point of use in months of low rainfall is worth about $120 per million gallons, which makes most undeveloped supplies valuable.The oldest rocks on East Maui are the very permeable primitive Honomanu basalts, which were extruded probably in Pliocene and early Pleistocene time from three rift zones. These rocks form a dome about 8,000 feet high and extend an unknown distance below sea level. Covering this dome are the Kula volcanics, extruded probably in early and middle Pleistocene time, and characterized by andesites, andesitic basalts, and picritic basalts. They are 2.000 feet thick on the summit and 50 to 200 feet thick at the periphery. They contain a sufficient number of interbedded soils, thin vitric tuff beds, and lava-filled valleys in their upper part to give rise to valuable perched springs in wet areas. The Kula lavas accumulated during a waning volcanic phase which was followed by a quiescence long enough for the erosion of deep amphitheater-headed valleys in the east or wet half of the mountain. Volcanic activity was renewed in middle (?) to late Pleistocene time and continued until Recent time, during which the Hana volcanic series was laid down. The last lava flow was erupted about 1750. The Hana lavas comprise andesitic, picritic, and olivine basalts. They veneered large areas of the east and south slopes, partly filled the deep amphitheater-headed valleys, and deeply buried the smaller valleys in the eastern half of the mountain. The Hana rocks are exceedingly permeable and much rain sinks into them.The oldest rocks on West Maui are the very permeable primitive Wailuku basalts, which were extruded probably in Pliocene and early Pleistocene time from two rifts and from many radial fissures. The basalts form a dome about 5,600 feet high and extend an unknown distance below sea level. Iao Valley is the eroded caldera of this dome. Forming an incomplete veneer over the dome are the Honolua soda trachytes and oligoclase andesites. They were extruded in late Pliocene (?) or early Pleistocene time, chiefly from bulbous domes. The clinker beds carry some water but the rocks are generally too dense to be good aquifers. During early (?) Pleistocene the West Maui volcano was cut by deep amphitheater-headed valleys and then all of Maui was deeply submerged. Four scattered eruptions occurred on West Maui in middle (?) and late Pleistocene time. The cones and lavas cover only small areas and are called the Lahaina volcanic series. The sedimentary rocks of both East and West Maui are chiefly late Quaternary and comprise fans, landslide debris, delta deposits, and valley fills, mostly of poorly permeable and poorly assorted bouldery alluvium. They are overlain on the Isthmus by extensive calcareous dunes of three ages. A mud flow more than 300 feet thick is exposed in Kaupo Valley. During the fluctuations of the ocean in the Pleistocene, the island was emerged and submerged several times. Calcareous fossiliferous marine conglomerates deposited during this period are found up to an altitude of 250 feet on West Maui. The Homomanu, Wailuku, and Kula lavas are the chief aquifers. They supply 28 irrigation wells which yield an average of 170 million gallons a day of basal water. These wells are mine-like shafts with infiltration tunnels and are called Maui-type wells. Well 16 yields 40,000,000 gallons daily with a 22-foot drawdown, which is the largest amount yielded by any well in the Hawaiian Islands. The largest spring (no. 26) on the island is artesian. It yields 10,400,000 gallons daily and issues from Kula lavas near Nahiku. West Maui has numerous perennial streams supplied by springs from a dike complex. Twenty-three tunnels in West Maui recover 20.5 million gallons a day of high-level water, mostly from this dike complex. East Maui has few perennial streams in proportion to its size, and they are chiefly small due to the water sheds being underlain with permeable lavas. Forty tunnels recover 6 million gallons a day of high-level water in East Maui and all from structures other than dikes. It is estimated that about 100 million gallons a day of basal water wastes into the sea from West Maui and about 700 million gallons a day from East Maui. A number of sites are described where wells could be sunk to recover this water. Sites are also described where tunnels could be driven to recover high-level supplies. The hydrology of East and West Maui is conspicuously different in many respects, mainly because of the difference in the stage of dissection, the extensive veneer of very permeable Hann lavas on East Maui, and the comparatively small area of the Lahaina lavas of similar age on West Maui. The only thermal water known in the Hawaiian Islands, except on the active volcano of Kilauea, is in a well in West Maui.The Nahiku area has been mapped and studied in detail. The upper part of the Honomanu volcanic series, exposed in the sea cliffs, in petrographic character is transitional into the overlying Kula lavas, Kula and Hana time were characterized by a long succession of valley-cutting episodes, each valley being filled by lava erupted from the east rift zone. The lavas include olivine basalts, picritic basalts, and basaltic andesites,In the Nahiku area basal ground water occurs largely in the Honomanu basalts. Perched water occurs in many of the later lavas, generally following the axes of buried valleys. The members which perch the water are mostly ashy soil beds, although an unusually extensive, thick layer of much decomposed clinker also appears to be a supporting member. Most of the water travels through the basal clinker members of aa lavas. Artesian water is encountered in the upper, transitional part of the Honomanu volcanic series. The aquifer is permeable porphyritic pahoehoe; the confining members are relatively impermeable nonporphyritic aa.The lavas of East Maui are described according to stratigraphic groups. The oldest or Honomanu lavas are olivine basalts like the primitive lavas in other Hawaiian volcanoes. The later or Kula and Hana lavas include basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, and picritic basalts. The normative nepheline of analyzed East Maui lavas has not been identified in the mode. The degree of differentiation is inversely proportional to the frequency of eruptions.The lavas of West Maui volcano are divided into the Wailuku volcanic series, consisting largely of olivine basalts with less abundant olivine-poor basalts, hypersthene basalts, and picritic basalts; the Honolua volcanic series, consisting of oligoclase andesites and soda trachytes; and the Lahaina volcanic series, consisting of nepheline basanite and picritic basalts. Coarse-grained gabbros intrude the Wailuku lavas. Differentiation was undoubtedly partly by crystal settling, but the alkali curves of the variation diagram suggest that volatile transfer was of some importance.

The petrogenesis of Gorgona komatiites, picrites and basalts: new field, petrographic and geochemical constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, A. C.; Marriner, G. F.; Arndt, N. T.; Tarney, J.; Nivia, A.; Saunders, A. D.; Duncan, R. A.

1996-04-01

Gorgona Island, Colombia is remarkable not only because it contains the only Phanerozoic komatiites, but also because it has mafic to ultramafic lavas with a wide range of compositions, from moderately enriched to extremely depleted (relative to Bulk Earth). The komatiite flows are, in many respects similar to Archaean komatiites; they formed from MgO-rich (18%) liquids and have upper spinifex zones and lower cumulate zones. The cumulate zones of Archaean komatiites contain many solid grains, in contrast more than 90% of the olivine in the Gorgona cumulates is highly skeletal. This combined with the fact that the Gorgona cumulate zones are thinner than those in Archaean komatiites, suggests that the komatiite magma became strongly superheated en route to the surface. The komatiites have trace element contents intermediate between those of the basalts and the ultramafic tuffs. Some basalts have isotope compositions indicative of long-term enrichment in incompatible elements, whereas other basalts and ultramafic volcanics have isotopic signatures that imply corresponding depletion. It is apparent that the plume source region of the Gorgona magmas was markedly heterogeneous, with at least two source components contributing to the observed variation in composition. This heterogeneity may have resulted from the incorporation of different components into the plume source, or it may be the result of complex melting and melt extraction processes during the ascent of a heterogeneous plume. Despite earlier suggestions that there may have been a significant age gap between depleted komatiite and basalt flows and the enriched basalts, new 40Ar- 39Ar dating of basalts and gabbros are more consistent with all being generated at 87 Ma during formation of the Caribbean/Colombian plateau, possibly at the Galapagos hotspot.

Characterization of multiple lithologies within the lunar feldspathic regolith breccia meteorite Northeast Africa 001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snape, Joshua F.; Joy, Katherine H.; Crawford, Ian A.

2011-09-01

Abstract- Lunar meteorite Northeast Africa (NEA) 001 is a feldspathic regolith breccia. This study presents the results of electron microprobe and LA-ICP-MS analyses of a section of NEA 001. We identify a range of lunar lithologies including feldspathic impact melt, ferroan noritic anorthosite and magnesian feldspathic clasts, and several very-low titanium (VLT) basalt clasts. The largest of these basalt clasts has a rare earth element (REE) pattern with light-REE (LREE) depletion and a positive Euanomaly. This clast also exhibits low incompatible trace element (ITE) concentrations (e.g., <0.1 ppm Th, <0.5 ppm Sm), indicating that it has originated from a parent melt that did not assimilate KREEP material. Positive Eu-anomalies and such low-ITE concentrations are uncharacteristic of most basalts returned by the Apollo and Luna missions, and basaltic lunar meteorite samples. We suggest that these features are consistent with the VLT clasts crystallizing from a parent melt which was derived from early mantle cumulates that formed prior to the separation of plagioclase in the lunar magma ocean, as has previously been proposed for some other lunar VLT basalts. Feldspathic impact melts within the sample are found to be more mafic than estimations for the composition of the upper feldspathic lunar crust, suggesting that they may have melted and incorporated material from the lower lunar crust (possibly in large basin-forming events). The generally feldspathic nature of the impact melt clasts, lack of a KREEP component, and the compositions of the basaltic clasts, leads us to suggest that the meteorite has been sourced from the Outer-Feldspathic Highlands Terrane (FHT-O), probably on the lunar farside and within about 1000 km of sources of both Low-Ti and VLT basalts, the latter possibly existing as cryptomaria deposits.

Interpretation of trace element and isotope features of basalts: relevance of field relations, petrology, major element data, phase equilibria, and magma chamber modeling in basalt petrogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Hara, M. J.; Herzberg, C.

2002-06-01

The concentrations and ratios of the major elements determine the physical properties and the phase equilibria behavior of peridotites and basalts in response to the changing energy contents of the systems. The behavior of the trace elements and isotopic features are influenced in their turn by the phase equilibria, by the physical character of the partial melting and partial crystallization processes, and by the way in which a magma interacts with its wall rocks. Concentrating on the trace element and isotope contents of basalts to the exclusion of the field relations, petrology, major element data, and phase equilibria is as improvident as slaughtering the buffalo for the sake of its tongue. The crust is a cool boundary layer and a density filter, which impedes the upward transfer of hot, dense "primary" picritic and komatiitic liquids. Planetary crusts are sites of large-scale contamination and extensive partial crystallization of primitive melts striving to escape to the surface. Escape of truly unmodified primitive melts to the surface is a rare event, requiring the resolution of daunting problems in chemical and mechanical engineering. Primary status for volumetrically abundant basalts such as mid-ocean ridge basalt, ocean island basalt, and continental flood basalts is denied by their low-pressure cotectic character, first remarked upon on petrological grounds in 1928 and on experimental grounds in 1962. These basalt liquids are products of crystal-liquid separation at low pressure. Primary status for these common basalts is further denied by the phase equilibria of such compositions at elevated pressures, when the required residual mantle mineralogy (magnesian olivine and orthopyroxene) is not stable at the liquidus. It is also denied by the picritic or komatiitic nature of partial melts of candidate upper-mantle compositions at high pressures - a conclusion supported by calculation of the melt composition, which would need to be extracted in order to explain the chemical variation between fertile and residual peridotite in natural ultramafic rock suites. The subtleties of magma chamber partial crystallization processes can produce an astounding array of "pseudospidergrams," a small selection of which have been explored here. Major modification of the trace element geochemistry and trace element ratios, even those of the highly incompatible elements, must always be entertained whenever the evidence suggests the possibility of partial crystallization. At one extreme, periodically recharged, periodically tapped magma chambers might undergo partial crystallization by ˜95% consolidation of a succession of small packets of the magma. Refluxing of the 5% residual melts from such a process into the main body of melt would lead to eventual discrimination between highly incompatible elements in that residual liquid comparable with that otherwise achieved by 0.1 to 0.3% liquid extraction in equilibrium partial melting. Great caution needs to be exercised in attempting the reconstruction of more primitive compositions by addition of troctolite, gabbro, and olivine to apparently primitive lava compositions. Special attention is focussed on the phase equilibria involving olivine, plagioclase (i.e., troctolite), and liquid because a high proportion of erupted basalts carry these two phases as phenocrysts, yet the equilibria are restricted to crustal pressures and are only encountered by wide ranges of basaltic compositions at pressures less than 0.5 GPa. The mere presence of plagioclase phenocrysts may be sufficient to disqualify candidate primitive magmas. Determination of the actual contributions of crustal processes to petrogenesis requires a return to detailed field, experimental, and forensic petrologic studies of individual erupted basalt flows; of a multitude of cumulate gabbros and their contacts; and of upper-mantle outcrops.

Hydrogeologic framework of the North Fork and surrounding areas, Long Island, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schubert, Christopher E.; Bova, Richard G.; Misut, Paul E.

2004-01-01

Ground water on the North Fork of Long Island is the sole source of drinking water, but the supply is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and upconing in response to heavy pumping. Information on the area's hydrogeologic framework is needed to analyze the effects of pumping and drought on ground-water levels and the position of the freshwater-saltwater interface. This will enable water-resource managers and water-supply purveyors to evaluate a wide range of water-supply scenarios to safely meet water-use demands. The extent and thickness of hydrogeologic units and position of the freshwater-saltwater interface were interpreted from previous work and from exploratory drilling during this study.The fresh ground-water reservoir on the North Fork consists of four principal freshwater flow systems (referred to as Long Island mainland, Cutchogue, Greenport, and Orient) within a sequence of unconsolidated Pleistocene and Late Cretaceous deposits. A thick glacial-lake-clay unit appears to truncate underlying deposits in three buried valleys beneath the northern shore of the North Fork. Similar glacial-lake deposits beneath eastern and east-central Long Island Sound previously were inferred to be younger than the surficial glacial deposits exposed along the northern shore of Long Island. Close similarities in thickness and upper-surface altitude between the glacial-lake-clay unit on the North Fork and the glacial-lake deposits in Long Island Sound indicate, however, that the two are correlated at least along the North Fork shore.The Matawan Group and Magothy Formation, undifferentiated, is the uppermost Cretaceous unit on the North Fork and constitutes the Magothy aquifer. The upper surface of this unit contains a series of prominent erosional features that can be traced beneath Long Island Sound and the North Fork. Northwest-trending buried ridges extend several miles offshore from areas southeast of Rocky Point and Horton Point. A promontory in the irregular, north-facing cuesta slope extends offshore from an area southwest of Mattituck Creek and James Creek. Buried valleys that trend generally southeastward beneath Long Island Sound extend onshore northeast of Hashamomuck Pond and east of Goldsmith Inlet.An undifferentiated Pleistocene confining layer, the lower confining unit, consists of apparently contiguous units of glacial-lake, marine, and nonmarine clay. This unit is more than 200 feet thick in buried valleys filled with glacial-lake clay along the northern shore, but elsewhere on the North Fork, it is generally less than 50 feet thick and presumably represents an erosional remnant of marine clay. Its upper surface is generally 75 feet or more below sea level where it overlies buried valleys, and is generally 100 feet or less below sea level in areas where marine clay has been identified.A younger unit of glacial-lake deposits, the upper confining unit, is a local confining layer and underlies a sequence of late Pleistocene moraine and outwash deposits. This unit is thickest (more than 45 feet thick) beneath two lowland areas--near Mattituck Creek and James Creek, and near Hashamomuck Pond--but pinches out close to the northern and southern shores and is locally absent in inland areas of the North Fork. Its upper-surface altitude generally rises to near sea level toward the southern shore.Freshwater in the Orient flow system is limited to the upper glacial aquifer above the top of the lower confining unit. The upper confining unit substantially impedes the downward flow of freshwater in inland parts of the Greenport flow system. Deep freshwater within the lower confining unit in the east-central part of the Cutchogue flow system probably is residual from an interval of lower sea level. The upper confining unit is absent or only a few feet thick in the west-central part of the Cutchogue flow system and does not substantially impede the downward flow of freshwater, but the lower confining unit probably impedes the downward flow of freshwater within a southeast-trending buried valley in this area.

CO2 content of andesitic melts at graphite-saturated upper mantle conditions with implications for redox state of oceanic basalt source regions and remobilization of reduced carbon from subducted eclogite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguchi, James; Dasgupta, Rajdeep

2017-03-01

We have performed experiments to determine the effects of pressure, temperature and oxygen fugacity on the CO2 contents in nominally anhydrous andesitic melts at graphite saturation. The andesite composition was specifically chosen to match a low-degree partial melt composition that is generated from MORB-like eclogite in the convective, oceanic upper mantle. Experiments were performed at 1-3 GPa, 1375-1550 °C, and fO2 of FMQ -3.2 to FMQ -2.3 and the resulting experimental glasses were analyzed for CO2 and H2O contents using FTIR and SIMS. Experimental results were used to develop a thermodynamic model to predict CO2 content of nominally anhydrous andesitic melts at graphite saturation. Fitting of experimental data returned thermodynamic parameters for dissolution of CO2 as molecular CO2: ln( K 0) = -21.79 ± 0.04, Δ V 0 = 32.91 ± 0.65 cm3mol-1, Δ H 0 = 107 ± 21 kJ mol-1, and dissolution of CO2 as CO3 2-: ln (K 0 ) = -21.38 ± 0.08, Δ V 0 = 30.66 ± 1.33 cm3 mol-1, Δ H 0 = 42 ± 37 kJ mol-1, where K 0 is the equilibrium constant at some reference pressure and temperature, Δ V 0 is the volume change of reaction, and Δ H 0 is the enthalpy change of reaction. The thermodynamic model was used along with trace element partition coefficients to calculate the CO2 contents and CO2/Nb ratios resulting from the mixing of a depleted MORB and the partial melt of a graphite-saturated eclogite. Comparison with natural MORB and OIB data suggests that the CO2 contents and CO2/Nb ratios of CO2-enriched oceanic basalts cannot be produced by mixing with partial melts of graphite-saturated eclogite. Instead, they must be produced by melting of a source containing carbonate. This result places a lower bound on the oxygen fugacity for the source region of these CO2-enriched basalts, and suggests that fO2 measurements made on cratonic xenoliths may not be applicable to the convecting upper mantle. CO2-depleted basalts, on the other hand, are consistent with mixing between depleted MORB and partial melts of a graphite-saturated eclogite. Furthermore, calculations suggest that eclogite can remain saturated in graphite in the convecting upper mantle, acting as a reservoir for C.

Basaltic Dike Propagation at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffney, E. S.; Damjanac, B.; Warpinski, N. R.

2004-12-01

We describe simulations of the propagation of basaltic dikes using a 2-dimensional, incompressible hydrofracture code including the effects of the free surface with specific application to potential interactions of rising magma with a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. As the leading edge of the dike approaches the free surface, confinement at the crack tip is reduced and the tip accelerates relative to the magma front. In the absence of either excess confining stress or excess gas pressure in the tip cavity, this leads to an increase of crack-tip velocity by more than an order of magnitude. By casting the results in nondimensional form, they can be applied to a wide variety of intrusive situations. When applied to an alkali basalt intrusion at the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, the results provide for a description of the subsurface phenomena. For magma rising at 1 m/s and dikes wider than about 0.5 m, the tip of the fissure would already have breached the surface by the time magma arrived at the nominal 300-m repository depth. An approximation of the effect of magma expansion on dike propagation is used to show that removing the restriction of an incompressible magma would result in even greater crack-tip acceleration as the dike approached the surface. A second analysis with a distinct element code indicates that a dike could penetrate the repository even during the first 2000 years after closure during which time heating from radioactive decay of waste would raise the minimum horizontal compressive stress above the vertical stress for about 80 m above and below the repository horizon. Rather than sill formation, the analysis indicates that increased pressure and dike width below the repository cause the crack tip to penetrate the horizon, but much more slowly than under in situ stress conditions. The analysis did not address the effects of either anisotropic joints or heat loss on this result.

Estimated discharge and chemical-constituent loading from the upper Floridan aquifer to the lower St John's River, northeastern Florida, 1990-91

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spechler, R.M.

1995-01-01

The lower St. Johns River, a 101-mile long segment of the St. Johns River, begins at the confluence of the Ocklawaha River and ends where the river discharges into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport. The St. Johns River is affected by tides as far upstream as Lake George, 106 miles from the mouth. Saltwater from the ocean advances inland during each incoming tide and recedes during each outgoing tide. The chemical quality of the lower St. Johns River is highly variable primarily because of the inflow of saltwater from the ocean, and in some areas, from the discharge of mineralized ground water. Three hydrogeologic units are present in the study area: the surficial aquifer system, the intermediate confining unit, and the Floridan aquifer system. The surficial aquifer system overlies the intermediate confining unit and consists of deposits containing sand, clay, shell, and some limestone and dolomite. The intermediate confining unit underlies all of the study area and retards the vertical movement of water between the surficial aquifer system and the Floridan aquifer system. The intermediate confining unit consists of beds of relatively low permeability sediments that vary in thickness and areal extent and can be breached by sinkholes, fractures, and other openings. The Floridan aquifer system primarily consists of limestone and dolomite. The quality of water in the Upper Floridan aquifer varies throughout the study area. Dissolved solids in water range from about 100 to more than 5,000 milligrams per liter. Chloride and sulfate concentrations in water from the Upper Floridan aquifer range from about 4 to 3,700 milligrams per liter and from 1 to 1,300 milligrams per liter, respectively. The rate of leakage through the intermediate confining unit is controlled by the leakance coefficient of the intermediate confining unit and by the head difference between the Upper Floridan aquifer and the surficial aquifer system. The total ground-water discharge from the Upper Floridan aquifer to the St. Johns River within the lower St. Johns River drainage basin, based on the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in September 1990, was estimated to be 86 cubic feet per second. Total estimated ground-water discharge to the lower St. Johns River in September 1991, when heads in the Upper Floridan aquifer averaged about 4 feet higher than in 1990, was 133 cubic feet per second. The load of dissolved-solids that discharged from the Upper Floridan aquifer into the lower St. Johns River on the basis of September 1990 heads is estimated to be 47,000 tons per year. Estimated chloride and sulfate loads are 18,000 and 9,500 tons per year, respectively. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate loads discharging into the lower St. Johns River are estimated to be 81,000, 39,000, and 15,000 tons per year, respectively, on the basis of September 1991 heads.

Hydrogeology and preliminary assessment of regional flow in the upper Cretaceous and adjacent aquifers in the northern Mississippi embayment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brahana, J.V.; Mesko, T.O.

1988-01-01

On a regional scale, the groundwater system of the northern Mississippi embayment is composed of a series of nonindurated clastic sediments that overlie a thick sequence of Paleozoic carbonate, sandstones, and shales. The units that comprise the geohydrologic framework of this study are the alluvium-lower Wilcox Aquifer the Midway confining unit, the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, the Cretaceous-Paleozoic confining unit, and the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer. The Upper Cretaceous aquifer of Late Cretaceous age is the primary focus of this investigation; the study is part of the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer-System Analysis. A four layer finite-difference groundwater flow model enabled testing of alternative boundary concepts and provide a refined definition of the hydrologic budget of the deep aquifers. The alluvium-lower Wilcox aquifer, the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, and the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer form layers 2 through 4, respectively. Layer 1 is an inactive layer of constant heads representing shallow water levels, which are a major control on recharge to and discharge from the regional system. A matrix of leakance values simulates each confining unit, allowing vertical interchange of water between different aquifers. The model was calibrated to 1980 conditions by using the assumption that 1980 was near steady-state conditions; it was calibrated to simulate observed heads were found to be most sensitive to pumping, and least sensitive to the leakance. By using all available water quality and water level data, alternative boundary conditions were tested by comparing model simulated heads to observed heads. The results of the early modeling effort also contribute to a better understanding of the regional hydrologic budget, indicating that: upward leakage from the Ozark-St. Francois aquifer to the Upper Cretaceous aquifer is about 43 cu ft/sec; upward recharge of about 68 cu ft/sec occurs to the lower Wilcox-alluvium aquifer from the Upper Cretaceous aquifer; and the Midway is an effective regional confining unit. (Author 's abstract)

A progress report on results of test drilling and ground-water investigations of the Snake Plain aquifer, southeastern Idaho: Part 1: Mud Lake Region, 1969-70 and Part 2: Observation Wells South of Arco and West of Aberdeen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crosthwaite, E.G.

1973-01-01

The results of drilling test holes to depths of approximately 1,000 feet in the Mud Lake region show that a large part of the region is underlain by both sedimentary deposits and basalt flows. At some locations, predominantly sedimentary deposits were penetrated; at others, basalt flows predominated. The so-called Mud Lake-Market Lake barrier denotes a change in geology. From the vicinity of the barrier area, as described by Stearns, Crandall, and Steward (1938, p. 111), up the water-table gradient for at least a few tens of miles, the saturated geologic section consists predominantly of beds of sediments that are intercalated with numerous basalt flows. Downgradient from the barrier, sedimentary deposits are not common and practically all the water-bearing formations are basalt, at least to the depths explored so far. Thus, the barrier is a transition zone from a sedimentary-basaltic sequence to a basaltic sequence. The sedimentary-basaltic sequence forms a complex hydrologic system in which water occurs under water-table conditions in the upper few tens of feet of saturated material and under artesian conditions in the deeper material in the southwest part of the region. The well data indicate that southwest of the barrier, artesian pressures are not significant. Southwest of the barrier, few sedimentary deposits occur in the basalt section and, as described by Mundorff, Crosthwaite, and Kilburn (1964). ground water occurs in a manner typical of the Snake Plain aquifer. In several wells, artesian pressures are higher in the deeper formations than in the shallower ones, but the reverse was found in a few wells. The available data are not adequate to describe the water-bearing characteristics of the artesian aquifer nor the effects that pumping in one zone would have on adjacent zones. The water-table aquifer yields large quantities of water to irrigation wells.

The Laughlin liquid in an external potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rougerie, Nicolas; Yngvason, Jakob

2018-04-01

We study natural perturbations of the Laughlin state arising from the effects of trapping and disorder. These are N-particle wave functions that have the form of a product of Laughlin states and analytic functions of the N variables. We derive an upper bound to the ground state energy in a confining external potential, matching exactly a recently derived lower bound in the large N limit. Irrespective of the shape of the confining potential, this sharp upper bound can be achieved through a modification of the Laughlin function by suitably arranged quasi-holes.

New Estimates of Rhenium in the Crust: Implications for Mantle Re-Os Budgets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, V. C.; Sun, W.

2002-12-01

The 187Re-187Os isotopic system has provided a new probe of mantle chemical structure with, for example, now numerous studies balancing estimates of the Os isotopic compositions of the upper modern mantle with sizes and ages of proposed conjugate reservoirs stored within the deep mantle. This style of modeling is dependent upon estimates of the parent Re in the various reservoirs including total crust, upper mantle, MORB and ocean island basalts. New laser ICP-MS in situ and ID whole rock results from OIB, arc and back-arc basalts suggest Re concentrations in oceanic and crustal domains may have been greatly underestimated. For example Hawaiian OIBs show a clear distinction between subaerial and submarine erupted samples with the latter having Re much closer to the higher MORB estimates (1) than to previous OIB estimates. This difference has been attributed to Re volatility and loss during syn- and post-eruption degassing of subaerial samples. Recent work has produced similar results for submarine arc samples using both dredged glasses and melt inclusions in olivines from primitive basalts. Both have much higher average Re (ca. 1.5 and 3.4 ppb; 2,3) than literature values for arcs (ca. 0.30ppb) determined largely from sub-aerial samples, or for average crust estimated from loess (0.2 ppb; 4). If the undegassed arc samples are representative, then the total crust may have more than 5 times the Re previously estimated. Re lost during arc eruptions may ultimately be concentrated in anoxic seafloor sediments. Prior under-estimates may be linked to the extremely heterogeneous concentration (> 5 orders of magnitude) of the chalcophile, redox sensitive Re in crustal environments. If the residence time of high Re in the crust is long (>1 Ga) then, 1) much smaller reservoirs of stored Re in the deep mantle are required to balance Re depletions in the upper mantle, and 2) significant portions of the upper mantle are likely Re depleted. Alternatively Re may be rapidly recycled in oceanic sediments (short residence time) resulting in a smaller affect on Re-Os budgets, but creating areas of extreme Re heterogeneity in the upper mantle. Refs: 1. Bennett, Norman and Garcia, EPSL 2000. 2. Sun et al. (in press, Chemical Geology) 3. Sun et al. (submitted). 4. Peucker-Ehrenbrink and Jahn, G3, 2001.

MARIUS HILLS REGION, MOON: Stratigraphy of low shields and mare basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhart, Jennifer; Hiesinger, Harry; van der Bogert, Carolyn; Hendrik Pasckert, Jan; Weinauer, Julia; Lawrence, Samuel; Stopar, Julie; Robinson, Mark

2016-04-01

The Marius Hills region consists of more than 250 individual basaltic low shields (usually referred to as "domes") and cones, located on a broad topographic rise. The bases of numerous low shields have slope angles of ~2-3° whereas the upper portions have slopes of ~6-7° [1], interpreted to reflect changes in composition over time [1]. However, the absence of spectral differences between the two dome morphologies and the surrounding mare basalts suggests that the observed morphologies are more plausibly explained by changes in effusion rates, temperature (viscosity), and/or crystallization over time [e.g., 2]. Previous studies indicate that volcanism in this region occurred in the Upper Imbrian (3.2-3.8 Ga) [3], although several other authors reported ages ranging from the Imbrian (~3.3 Ga) to the Eratosthenian (~2.5 Ga) [e.g., 1,2,4]. [2,5] reported that all low shields are embayed by younger mare units, indicating that they formed during an older stage of volcanic activity. Mare basalts surrounding the Marius Hills exhibit absolute model ages of 1.2-3.7 Ga [6]. We used 36 LRO NAC images to perform crater size-frequency distribution (CSFD) measurements. The images were calibrated and map-projected with ISIS 3 and imported into ArcGIS. Within ArcGIS, we used CraterTools [7] to perform our CSFD measurements. The crater size-frequency distributions were then plotted with CraterStats [8], using the production and chronology functions of [9]. We conducted CSFD measurements for 50 Marius Hills low shields. Our count area sizes ranged from 1.06 x 101 to 8.75 x 101 km2; those for adjacent basalts varied between 6.17 x 100 and 8.01 x 101 km2. We determined absolute model ages (AMAs) of 1.03 to 3.65 Ga for the low shields and did not find a spatial correlation of ages versus their locations. CSFD measurements for 27 adjacent basalts show AMAs of 1.20-3.69 Ga. Of those basalts, 24 exhibit AMAs of 3-3.5 Ga; there is no correlation of AMAs and the geographic position of the dated basalts. We find that in several cases the low shields are younger than their adjacent mare basalts. However, the stratigraphic relationships might be more complicated because [2,5] observed that basalts embay the low shields. Thus, further studies are required to unambiguously constrain the stratigraphic relationships and to characterize possible effects of small count areas and topography on the determination of AMAs with CSFD measurements. Provided the AMAs were not affected by the relatively small size of the count areas and topographic slopes, these results imply that the volcanic activity in the Marius Hills region lasted > 1 Ga longer than previously thought [e.g., 4]. [1] McCauley (1967b) Mantles of the Earth an terrestrial planets, 431-460; [2] Lawrence et al. (2013) JGR 118; [3] Wilhelms (1987) USGS Spec. Pub. 1348; [4] Heather et al. (2003) JGR 108; [5] Weitz and Head (1999) JGR 104; [6] Hiesinger et al. (2003) JGR 108; [7] Kneissl et al. (2012) PSS 59; [8] Michael and Neukum, (2010) EPSL 294; [9] Neukum et al. (2001) SSR 96.

Hydrogeology at Air Force Plant 4 and vicinity and water quality of the Paluxy Aquifer, Fort Worth, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuniansky, Eve L.; Jones, Sonya A.; Brock, Robert D.; Williams, M.D.

1996-01-01

Ground water in the surficial terrace alluvial aquifer is contaminated at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, and at the adjacent Naval Air Station. Some of the contaminated water has leaked from the terrace alluvial aquifer to an uppermost interval of the Paluxy Formation (the Paluxy "upper sand") beneath the east parking lot, east of the assembly building, and to the upper and middle zones of the Paluxy aquifer near Bomber Road, west of the assembly building. Citizens are concerned that contaminants from the plant, principally trichloroethylene and chromium might enter nearby municipal and domestic wells that pump water from the middle and lower zones of the Paluxy aquifer. Geologic formations that crop out in the study area, from oldest to youngest, are the Paluxy Formation (aquifer), Walnut Formation (confining unit), and Goodland Limestone (confining unit). Beneath the Paluxy Formation is the Glen Rose Formation (confining unit) and Twin Mountains Formation (aquifer). The terrace alluvial deposits overlie these Cretaceous rocks. The terrace alluvial aquifer, which is not used for municipal water supply, is separated from the Paluxy aquifer by the Goodland-Walnut confining unit. The confining unit restricts the flow of ground water between these aquifers in most places; however, downward leakage to the Paluxy aquifer might occur through the "window," where the confining unit is thin or absent. The Paluxy aquifer is divided into upper, middle, and lower zones. The Paluxy "upper sand" underlying the "window" is an apparently isolated, mostly unsaturated, sandy lens within the uppermost part of the upper zone. The Paluxy aquifer is recharged by leakage from Lake Worth and by precipitation on the outcrop area. Discharge from the aquifer primarily occurs as pumpage from municipal and domestic wells. The Paluxy aquifer is separated from the underlying Twin Mountains aquifer by the Glen Rose confining unit. Water-level maps indicate that (1) ground water in the terrace alluvial aquifer appears to flow outward, away from Air Force Plant 4; (2) a ground-water mound, possibly caused by downward leakage from the terrace alluvial aquifer, is present in the Paluxy "upper sand" beneath the "window;" and (3) lateral ground-water flow in regionally extensive parts of the Paluxy aquifer is from west to east-southeast. Trichloroethylene concentrations at Air Force Plant 4 have ranged from about 10,000 to about 100,000 micrograms per liter in the terrace alluvial aquifer, from 8,000 to 11,000 micrograms per liter in the Paluxy "upper sand," and from 2 to 50 micrograms per liter in the upper and middle zones of the Paluxy aquifer. Chromium concentrations at Air Force Plant 4 have ranged from 0 to 629 micrograms per liter in the terrace alluvial aquifer. The seven municipal wells mostly west and south of Air Force Plant 4 are not along a flowpath for leakage of contaminants from the plant because ground-water flow in the Paluxy aquifer is toward the east-southeast. Furthermore, trichloroethylene was not detected in any of these wells in 1993 when all were sampled for water quality. The results of water-quality sampling at 10 domestic wells northwest of the Air Force Plant 4 during April 1993 and April 1995 indicated that neither trichloroethylene nor chromium had migrated off-site to these wells.

Preliminary report on the ground-water resources of the Klamath River basin, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Newcomb, Reuben Clair; Hart, D.H.

1958-01-01

The Klamath River basin, including the adjacent Lost River basin, includes about 5,500 square miles of plateaus, mountain-slopes and valley plains in south-central Oregon. The valley plains range in altitude from about 4,100 feet in the south to more than 4,500 feet at the northern end; the mountain and plateau lands rise to an average altitude of 6,000 feet at the drainage divide, some peaks rising above 9,000 feet. The western quarter of the basin is on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range and the remainder consists of plateaus, mountains, and valleys of the basin-and-range type. The rocks of the Klamath River basin range in age from Recent to Mesozoic. At the southwest side of the basin in Oregon, pre-Tertiary metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks, which form extensive areas farther west, are overlain by sedimentary rocks of Eocene age and volcanic rocks of Eocene and Oligocene age. These early Tertiary rocks dip east toward the central part of the Klamath River basin. The complex volcanic rocks of high Cascades include three units: the lowest unit consists of a sequence of basaltic lava flows about 800 feet thick; the medial unit is composed of volcanic-sedimentary and sedimentary rocksthe Yonna formation200 to 2,000 feet thick; the uppermost unit is a sequence of basaltic lava flows commonly about 200 feet thick. These rocks dip east from the Cascade Range and are the main bedrock formations beneath most of the basin. Extensive pumice deposits, which emanated from ancestral Mount Mazama, cover large areas in the northwestern part of the basin. The basin has an overall synclinal structure open to the south at the California boundary where it continues as the Klamath Lake basin in California. The older rocks dip into the basin in monoclinal fashion from the adjoining drainage basins. The rocks are broken along rudely rectangular nets of closely spaced normal faults, the most prominent set of which trends northwest. The network of fault displacements includes two main grabens, the Klamath and the Langell, which were downthrown approximately 50 and 1,000 feet, respectively. The average annual precipitation varies with the altitude, the higher parts of the Cascade Range getting more than 60 inches, and the semiarid valley plains receive as little as 13 inches in some places. Most precipitation occurs in the winter. The principal tributaries, Williamson and Sprague Rivers, rise near the higher parts of the eastern rim of the basin, flow through narrow valley plains to the western part, and discharge into Upper Klamath Lake. Wood River and associated creeks also empty into Upper Klamath Lake after draining southward along along the eastern foot of the Cascade Range. The Klamath River receives the outflow from Upper Klamath Lake, via Link River and Lake Ewauna, and flows southwestward through Keno Gap and hance through a youthful canyon, to its lower valley in California. The ground water occurs largely in an unconfined, or water-table, condition, though areas of local confinement are present. The regional water table is graded to a base level about equal to that of the major drainage on the valley plains. The slop of the water table, where water is confined, or the piezometric surface is downstream at about the same grade as that of the surface drainage in each of the larger valleys, and ground-water divides occur between the upper parts of adjacent major valleys. The principal water-bearing units are the lower lava rocks and upper lava rocks of the volcanic rocks of high Cascades, the pumice of Quaternary age, and the alluvium. In places layers of coarse fragmental material in the Yonna formation (Newcomb, 1958) also transmit water. The water-bearing units, especially the breccia layers of the lava rocks and the pumice, yield large amounts of water to wells and provide natural discharge outlets for the ground water. The spring outflows to the Williamson and Wood Rivers-Crooked Creek drainage, mea

Lithospheric-folding-based understanding on the origin of the back-arc basaltic magmatism beneath Jeju volcanic island, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, S.; Shin, Y.; CHOI, K.; Koh, J.; Nakamura, E.; Na, S.

2012-12-01

Jeju Island is an intraplate volcanic island located at the eastern margin on the East Asia behind the Ryukyu Trench, the collisional/subduction boundary between the Eurasian plate and Philippine Sea plate. It is a symmetrical shield volcano, having numerous monogenetic cinder cones, over 365, on the Mt. Halla volcanic edifice. The basement rock mainly consists of Precambrian gneiss, Mesozoic granite and volcanic rocks. Unconsolidated sedimentary rock is found between basement rock and surface lava. The lava plateau is composed of voluminous basaltic lava flows, which extend to the coast region with a gentle slope. Based on the evidence obtained from volcanic stratigraphy, paleontology, and geochronology, the age of the Jeju basalts ranges from the early Pleistocene to Holocene(Historic). The alkaline and tholeiitic basalts exhibits OIB composition from intraplate volcanism which is not associated with plate subduction, while the basement xenolith contained in the volcanic rock indicates that there were volcanic activities associated with the Mesozoic plate subduction. The Geochemical characteristics have been explained with the plume model, lithospheric mantle origin, and melting of shallow asthenosphere by the rapid change of stress regimes between the collision of the India-Eurasia plates and subduction of the Pacific plate, while there has not been any geophysical investigation to disclose it. Compression near collisional plate boundaries causes lithospheric folding which results in the decrease of pressure beneath the ridge of the fold while the pressure increases beneath trough. The decompression beneath lithosphere is likely to accelerate basaltic magmatism along and below the ridge. We investigate the subsurface structure beneath Jeju volcanic island, South Korea and its vicinity and propose an alternative hypothesis that the basaltic magma beneath the island could be caused by episodic lithospheric folding. Unlike the prevailing hypothesis of the intraplate basaltic magmatism that requires extending lithosphere, ours can explain how the basaltic magma could be generated at the back-arc regions without the extension. A schematic diagram illustrating the magma formation beneath Arc and Back-arc regions due to the lithospheric folding: Basaltic magma could be generated at upper mantle beneath ridge of the lithospheric fold by decompression and pre-existing high temperature.

Volcanostratigraphy, petrography and petrochemistry of Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Görele area (Giresun, NE Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oguz, Simge; Aydin, Faruk; Baser, Rasim

2015-04-01

In this study, we have reported for lithological, petrographical and geochemical features of late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Çanakçı and the Karabörk areas in the south-eastern part of Görele (Giresun, NE Turkey) in order to investigate their origin and magmatic evolution. Based on the previous ages and recent volcano-stratigraphic studies, the late Cretaceous time in the study area is characterized by an intensive volcanic activity that occurred in two different periods. The first period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Cenomanian-Santonian; 100-85 My), conformably overlain by Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous massive carbonates (Berdiga Formation), is represented by bimodal units consisting of mainly mafic rock series (basaltic-andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites, dikes and sills) in the lower part (Çatak Formation), and felsic rock series (dacitic lavas and hyaloclastites, crystal- and pyrite-bearing tuffs) in the upper part (Kızılkaya Formation). The second period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Santonian-Late Campanian; 85-75 Ma) is also represented by bimodal character and again begins with mafic rock suites (basaltic-basaltic andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites) in the lower part (Çağlayan Formation), and grades upward into felsic rock suites (biotite-bearing rhyolitic lavas, ignimbrites and hyaloclastites) through the upper part (Tirebolu Formation). These bimodal units are intercalated with volcanic conglomerates-sandstones, claystones, marl and red pelagic limestones throughout the volcanic sequence, and the felsic rock series have a special important due to hosting of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the region. All volcano-sedimentary units are covered by Tonya Formation (Late Campanian-Paleocene) containing calciturbidites, biomicrites and clayey limestones. The mafic rocks in the two volcanic periods generally include basalt, basaltic andesite and minor andesite, whereas felsic volcanics of the first period mainly consists of dacite but those of the second period have biotite-bearing rhyolite. The basalts and basaltic andesites exhibit subaphyric to porphyritic texture with phenocrysts of calcic plagioclase and augite in a fine-grained to microcrystalline groundmass, consisting of plag+cpx+mag. Andesite samples display a porphyritic texture with phenocrysts of calcic to sodic plagioclase and augite in a hyalopilitic matrix of plag+cpx±amph+mag. Zircon and magnetite are common accessory minerals, whereas chlorite, epidote and calcite are typical alteration products. On the other hand, the dacitic and rhyolitic rocks commonly show a porphyritic texture with predominant feldspar, quartz and some biotite phenocrysts. The microgranular to felsophyric groundmass is mainly composed of aphanitic plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz. Accessory minerals include zircon, apatite and magnetite. Typical alteration minerals include late-formed sericite, albite and clay minerals. Late Cretaceous mafic and felsic volcanic rocks have a largely sub-alkaline character with typical arc geochemical signatures. N-MORB-normalised multi-element patterns show that all rock samples are enriched in LILEs (e.g. Rb, Ba, Th) but depleted in Nb and Ti. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns are concave shapes with low to medium enrichment, suggesting a common mantle source for the studied bimodal rock series. All geochemical data reflecting typical characteristics of subduction-related magmas are commonly attributed to a depleted mantle source, which has been previously enriched by fluids or sediments. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK, grant 112Y365)

Stratigraphy of the Oliocene Sullivan Buttes Latite constrains transition zone development in Chino Valley, Arizona

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

Ward, S.A.; Riggs, N.R.

The 26.7--23.4 Ma Sullivan Buttes Latite of Chino Valley, Yavapai County, Arizona, erupted during the development of the Transition Zone between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau provinces. Detailed mapping and stratigraphic analysis of a portion of the volcanic field indicate volcanism began with the eruption of a shoshonite lava flow and associated cinder cone. Amphibole latite domes then erupted fallouts, surges, and mass flow breccias and culminated activity with a lava flow. Extrusive units from a biotite oxidized latite center to the east interfinger with the older amphibole lattice volcaniclastics. Sullivan Buttes Latite units erupted onto Precambrian andmore » lower Paleozoic strata and Tertiary gravels; the scarp of upper Paleozoic strata equivalent to the paleo' Mogollon Rim had retreated from the area by the time of emplacement of the oldest Sullivan Buttes Latite unit. Subsequent 15--10 Ma Hickey Formation basalts flowed onto an erosion surface cut into Sullivan Buttes deposits, and the nearby Verde River downcut through younger 4.62 Ma Perkinsville Formation basalt. Both situations demonstrate erosion and degradation post Sullivan Buttes activity. Normal faults offsetting Hickey Formation basalts and all older units constrain Basin and Range structural activity to 15 Ma or younger. These stratigraphic relationships of the Sullivan Buttes Latite in the context of Transition Zone development concur with 65--18 Ma retreat of the upper Paleozoic scarp and below-scarp aggradation, 18--12 Ma Basin and Range faulting, and subsequent degradation.« less

Commercial Lunar ISRU for the Space Launch Industry: Cruder is Better

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, M.

2017-09-01

Lunar ISRU scenarios typically focus on making relatively high-added-value products (such as solar PVs) for off-Earth use only. Discussion of space mining in general focuses on high-value trace substances (e.g. platinum group metals) as exports to Earth, and hydroxyls and other volatiles for use only in space. This paper considers two potential bulk commodities with high availability on the lunar surface: space-weathered basalt fines and the oxygen in metal oxides. Basalt fiber can be produced by a simple process, and is strong enough that a tapered rotating sling could propel payloads at lunar escape velocity. Basalt aerobrakes could be flung to LEO depots to aid in aerocapture, reentry, and thermal protection of upper stages. Lunar oxygen (O2 being most of the mass of most liquid-fueled rockets) could aid in powered descent. In short, abundant substances on the Moon could make cost-saving exports possible sooner than later, for the satellite launch industry.

Is Ishtar Terra a thickened basaltic crust?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arkani-Hamed, Jafar

1992-01-01

The mountain belts of Ishtar Terra and the surrounding tesserae are interpreted as compressional regions. The gravity and surface topography of western Ishtar Terra suggest a thick crust of 60-110 km that results from crustal thickening through tectonic processes. Underthrusting was proposed for the regions along Danu Montes and Itzpapalotl Tessera. Crustal thickening was suggested for the entire Ishtar Terra. In this study, three lithospheric models with total thicknesses of 40.75 and 120 km and initial crustal thicknesses of 3.9 and 18 km are examined. These models could be produced by partial melting and chemical differentiation in the upper mantle of a colder, an Earth-like, and a hotter Venus having temperatures of respectively 1300 C, 1400 C, and 1500 C at the base of their thermal boundary layers associated with mantle convection. The effects of basalt-granulite-eclogite transformation (BGET) on the surface topography of a thickening basaltic crust is investigated adopting the experimental phase diagram and density variations through the phase transformation.

Mantle upwelling and trench-parallel mantle flow in the northern Cascade arc indicated by basalt geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullen, E.; Weis, D.

2013-12-01

Cascadia offers a unique perspective on arc magma genesis as an end-member ';hot' subduction zone in which relatively little water may be available to promote mantle melting. The youngest and hottest subducting crust (~5 Myr at the trench) occurs in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, at the northern edge of the subducting Juan de Fuca plate [1]. Geochemical data from GVB primitive basalts provide insights on mantle melting where a slab edge coincides with high slab temperatures. In subduction zones worldwide, including the Cascades, basalts are typically calc-alkaline and produced from a depleted mantle wedge modified by slab input. However, basalts from volcanic centers overlying the northern slab edge (Salal Glacier and Bridge River Cones) are alkalic [2] and lack a trace element subduction signature [3]. The mantle source of the alkalic basalts is significantly more enriched in incompatible elements than the slab-modified depleted mantle wedge that produces calc-alkaline basalts in the southern GVB (Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak) [3]. The alkalic basalts are also generated at temperatures and pressures of up to 175°C and 1.5 GPa higher than those of the calc-alkaline basalts [3], consistent with decompression melting of fertile, hot mantle ascending through a gap in the Nootka fault, the boundary between the subducting Juan de Fuca plate and the nearly stagnant Explorer microplate. Mantle upwelling may be related to toroidal mantle flow around the slab edge, which has been identified in southern Cascadia [4]. In the GVB, the upwelling fertile mantle is not confined to the immediate area around the slab edge but has spread southward along the arc axis, its extent gradually diminishing as the slab-modified depleted mantle wedge becomes dominant. Between Salal Glacier/Bridge River and Glacier Peak ~350 km to the south, there are increases in isotopic ratios (ɛHf = 8.3 to13.0, ɛNd = 7.3 to 8.5, and 208Pb*/206*Pb* = 0.914 to 0.928) and trace element indicators of slab input (e.g., Ba/Nb, Ba/La), along with a transition of basalt compositions from alkalic to calc-alkaline [2]. Mantle upwelling at slab edges and arc-parallel mantle flow are recognized in an increasing number of subduction zones from seismic anisotropy data [5]. In the GVB, the geochemical evidence for these phenomena is reinforced by shear-wave splitting measurements indicating complex mantle flow around the northern Cascadia slab edge [6]. The influx of enriched asthenosphere into the northern Cascadia mantle wedge accounts for why GVB basalts display compositional differences from other Cascade arc basalts. [1] Wilson (2002) USGS Open-File Rep 02-328; [2] Green (2006) Lithos 86, 23; [3] Mullen & Weis (2013) Geochem Geophys Geosys, in press; [4] Zandt & Humphreys (2008) Geology 36, 295; [5] Long & Silver (2008) Science 319, 315; [6] Currie et al. [2004] Geophys J Int 157, 341.

Petrogenesis of Neoarchean metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei: Implications for the transition stage from a compressional to an extensional regime for the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, Peng; Shan, Houxiang; Liu, Fu; Guo, Jinghui

2017-03-01

The 2.5 Ga metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei, can be classified into three groups based on major and trace elements: high-Mg basalts, tholeiitic basalts, and the calc-alkaline series (basaltic andesites-andesites and dacites-rhyolites). Both high-Mg basalts and tholeiitic basalts have negative anomalies of Nb, Zr, Ti and Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) as well as enrichments of Sr, K, Pb, Ba and Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) and show typical subduction zone affinities. The petrogenesis of high-Mg basalts can be ascribed to high-degree partial melting of an enriched mantle source in the spinel stability field that was previously enriched in Large Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE) and LREE by slab-derived hydrous fluids/melts/supercritical fluids, as well as the subsequent magma mixing processes of different sources at different source depths, with little or no influence of polybaric fractional crystallization. The flat HREE of tholeiitic basalts indicates they may also originate from the spinel stability field, but from obviously shallower depths than the source of high-Mg basalts. They may form at a later stage of the subduction process when rapid slab rollback leads to extension and seafloor spreading in the upper plate. We obtain the compositions of the Archean lower crust of the North China Craton based on the Archean Wutai-Jining section by compiling the average tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) components, average mafic granulite components, and average sedimentary rock components. The modeling results show that the generation of high-Al basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites can be attributed to assimilation by high-Mg basalts (primary basalts) of relatively high-Al2O3 thickened lower crust and the subsequent crystallization of prevailing mafic mineral phases, while Al2O3-rich plagioclase crystallization is suppressed under high-pressure and nearly water-saturated conditions. Dacites and rhyolites may be the result of further fractional crystallization of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) and andesites. Mixing of magmas at various stages along the fractionation course of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) toward rhyolites promotes the trend of the calc-alkaline series. To reconcile the 2.55 to 2.5 Ga TTGs derived from overthickened crust, the 2.51 to 2.50 Ga calc-alkaline volcanic rocks derived from thickened crust, tholeiitic basalts representing low pressure and an extensional tectonic setting, 2493 Ma leucosyenogranites derived from overthickened crust, 2437 Ma biotite-monzogranites derived from slightly thinner crust than leucosyenogranites but still thickened, as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P-T paths of the HP granulites and widespread extension and rifting setting within the NCC from 2300 Ma, we propose a model of an evolving subduction process. Among them, the composition of the 2.5 Ga Changyukou volcanic rocks and potassic granites as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P-T paths of the HP granulites may reveal that the tectonic setting in Northwest Hebei was in a transition stage from a subduction-related compressional regime to an extensional regime related to plate rollback.

Radiolarian biochronology of upper Anisian to upper Ladinian (Middle Triassic) blocks and tectonic slices of volcano-sedimentary successions in the Mersin Mélange, southern Turkey: New insights for the evolution of Neotethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tekin, U. Kagan; Bedi, Yavuz; Okuyucu, Cengiz; Göncüoglu, M. Cemal; Sayit, Kaan

2016-12-01

The Mersin Ophiolitic Complex located in southern Turkey comprises two main structural units; the Mersin Mélange, and a well-developed ophiolite succession with its metamorphic sole. The Mersin Mélange is a sedimentary complex including blocks and tectonic slices of oceanic litosphere and continental crust in different sizes. Based on different fossil groups (Radiolaria, Conodonta, Foraminifera and Ammonoidea), the age of these blocks ranges from Early Carboniferous to early Late Cretaceous. Detailed fieldwork in the central part of the Mersin Mélange resulted in identification of a number of peculiar blocks of thick basaltic pillow-and massive lava sequences alternating with pelagic-clastic sediments and radiolarian cherts. The oldest ages obtained from the radiolarian assemblages from the pelagic sediments transitional to the volcano-sedimentary succession in some blocks are middle to late Late Anisian. These pelagic sediments are overlain by thick sandstones of latest Anisian to middle Early Ladinian age. In some blocks, sandstones are overlain by clastic and pelagic sediments with lower Upper to middle Upper Ladinian radiolarian fauna. Considering the litho- and biostratigraphical data from Middle Triassic successions in several blocks in the Mersin Mélange, it is concluded that they correspond mainly to the blocks/slices of the Beysehir-Hoyran Nappes, which were originated from the southern margin of the Neotethyan Izmir-Ankara Ocean. As the pre-Upper Anisian basic volcanics are geochemically evaluated as back-arc basalts, this new age finding suggest that a segment of the Izmir-Ankara branch of the Neotethys was already open prior to Middle Triassic and was the site of intraoceanic subduction.

Pyroclastic Activity at Home Plate in Gusev Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Squyres, S. W.; Aharonson, O.; Clark, B. S.; Cohen, B.; Crumpler, L.; deSouza, P. A.; Farrand, W. H.; Gellert, R.; Grant, J.; Grotzinger, J. P.;

Pyroclastic activity at home plate in Gusev crater, Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Squyres, S. W.; Aharonson, O.; Clark, B. C.; Cohen, B. A.; Crumpler, L.; de Souza, P.A.; Farrand, W. H.; Gellert, Ralf; Grant, J.; Grotzinger, J.P.; Haldemann, A.F.C.; Johnson, J. R.; Klingelhofer, G.; Lewis, K.W.; Li, R.; McCoy, T.; McEwen, A.S.; McSween, H.Y.; Ming, D. W.; Moore, Johnnie N.; Morris, R.V.; Parker, T.J.; Rice, J. W.; Ruff, S.; Schmidt, M.; Schroder, C.; Soderblom, L.A.; Yen, A.

2007-01-01

Home Plate is a layered plateau in Gusev crater on Mars. It is composed of clastic rocks of moderately altered alkali basalt composition, enriched in some highly volatile elements. A coarse-grained lower unit lies under a finer-grained upper unit. Textural observations indicate that the lower strata were emplaced in an explosive event, and geochemical considerations favor an explosive volcanic origin over an impact origin. The lower unit likely represents accumulation of pyroclastic materials, whereas the upper unit may represent eolian reworking of the same pyroclastic materials.

Viscous flow behavior of tholeiitic and alkaline Fe-rich martian basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chevrel, Magdalena Oryaëlle; Baratoux, David; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Dingwell, Donald B.

2014-01-01

The chemical compositions of martian basalts are enriched in iron with respect to terrestrial basalts. Their rheology is poorly known and liquids of this chemical composition have not been experimentally investigated. Here, we determine the viscosity of five synthetic silicate liquids having compositions representative of the diversity of martian volcanic rocks including primary martian mantle melts and alkali basalts. The concentric cylinder method has been employed between 1500 °C and the respective liquidus temperatures of these liquids. The viscosity near the glass transition has been derived from calorimetric measurements of the glass transition. Although some glass heterogeneity limits the accuracy of the data near the glass transition, it was nevertheless possible to determine the parameters of the non-Arrhenian temperature-dependence of viscosity over a wide temperature range (1500 °C to the glass transition temperature). At superliquidus conditions, the martian basalt viscosities are as low as those of the Fe-Ti-rich lunar basalts, similar to the lowest viscosities recorded for terrestrial ferrobasalts, and 0.5 to 1 order of magnitude lower than terrestrial tholeiitic basalts. Comparison with empirical models reveals that Giordano et al. (2008) offers the best approximation, whereas the model proposed by Hui and Zhang (2007) is inappropriate for the compositions considered. The slightly lower viscosities exhibited by the melts produced by low degree of mantle partial melting versus melts produced at high degree of mantle partial melting (likely corresponding to the early history of Mars), is not deemed sufficient to lead to viscosity variations large enough to produce an overall shift of martian lava flow morphologies over time. Rather, the details of the crystallization sequence (and in particular the ability of some of these magmas to form spinifex texture) is proposed to be a dominant effect on the viscosity during martian lava flow emplacement and may explain the lower range of viscosities (102-104 Pa s) inferred from lava flow morphology. Further, the differences between the rheological behaviors of tholeiitic vs. trachy-basalts are significant enough to affect their emplacement as intrusive bodies or as effusive lava flows. The upper range of viscosities (106-108 Pa s) suggested from lava flow morphology is found consistent with the occurrence of alkali basalt documented from in situ analyses and does not necessarily imply the occurrence of basaltic-andesite or andesitic rocks.

Zinc isotope fractionation during mantle melting and constraints on the Zn isotope composition of Earth's upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ze-Zhou; Liu, Sheng-Ao; Liu, Jingao; Huang, Jian; Xiao, Yan; Chu, Zhu-Yin; Zhao, Xin-Miao; Tang, Limei

2017-02-01

The zinc (Zn) stable isotope system has great potential for tracing planetary formation and differentiation processes due to its chalcophile, lithophile and moderately volatile character. As an initial approach, the terrestrial mantle, and by inference, the bulk silicate Earth (BSE), have previously been suggested to have an average δ66Zn value of ∼+0.28‰ (relative to JMC 3-0749L) primarily based on oceanic basalts. Nevertheless, data for mantle peridotites are relatively scarce and it remains unclear whether Zn isotopes are fractionated during mantle melting. To address this issue, we report high-precision (±0.04‰; 2SD) Zn isotope data for well-characterized peridotites (n = 47) from cratonic and orogenic settings, as well as their mineral separates. Basalts including mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and ocean island basalts (OIB) were also measured to avoid inter-laboratory bias. The MORB analyzed have homogeneous δ66Zn values of +0.28 ± 0.03‰ (here and throughout the text, errors are given as 2SD), similar to those of OIB obtained in this study and in the literature (+0.31 ± 0.09‰). Excluding the metasomatized peridotites that exhibit a wide δ66Zn range of -0.44‰ to +0.42‰, the non-metasomatized peridotites have relatively uniform δ66Zn value of +0.18 ± 0.06‰, which is lighter than both MORB and OIB. This difference suggests a small but detectable Zn isotope fractionation (∼0.1‰) during mantle partial melting. The magnitude of inter-mineral fractionation between olivine and pyroxene is, on average, close to zero, but spinels are always isotopically heavier than coexisting olivines (Δ66ZnSpl-Ol = +0.12 ± 0.07‰) due to the stiffer Zn-O bonds in spinel than silicate minerals (Ol, Opx and Cpx). Zinc concentrations in spinels are 11-88 times higher than those in silicate minerals, and our modelling suggests that spinel consumption during mantle melting plays a key role in generating high Zn concentrations and heavy Zn isotopic compositions of MORB. Therefore, preferential melting of spinel in the peridotites may account for the Zn isotopic difference between spinel peridotites and basalts. By contrast, the absence of Zn isotope fractionation between silicate minerals suggests that Zn isotopes are not significantly fractionated during partial melting of spinel-free garnet-facies mantle. If the studied non-metasomatized peridotites represent the refractory upper mantle, mass balance calculation shows that the depleted MORB mantle (DMM) has a δ66Zn value of +0.20 ± 0.05‰ (2SD), which is lighter than the primitive upper mantle (PUM) estimated in previous studies (+0.28 ± 0.05‰, 2SD, Chen et al., 2013b; +0.30 ± 0.07‰, 2SD, Doucet et al., 2016). This indicates that the Earth's upper mantle has a heterogeneous Zn isotopic composition vertically, which is probably due to shallow mantle melting processes.

Results of test drilling in the Basalt aquifer near Fallon, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maurer, Douglas K.

2002-01-01

Drilling of two test holes into the Fallon basalt aquifer commenced August 14, 2001. The basalt aquifer is located beneath the Carson Desert, near Fallon, Nevada, and is the sole source of drinking water for the City of Fallon, the Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. Basalt comprising the aquifer is exposed at Rattlesnake Hill, an eroded volcanic cone, about 1 mile northeast of Fallon, and the remainder is buried beneath sediments deposited by the Carson River and ancient Lake Lahontan to depths of 600 feet near its edges (fig. 1). The basalt-aquifer system is a mushroom-shaped body of highly permeable volcanic rock. Viewed from above, the lateral extent of the basalt body is oval-shaped, about 4-miles wide and 10-miles long (fig. 1). Drilling was part of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Reclamation, and NAS Fallon. The study was started because of concern about the continued viability of the basalt-aquifer system as a source of municipal water supply. Increased pumping from about 1,700 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/yr) in the 1970?s to over 3,000 acre-ft/yr in the late 1990?s has caused water levels in the basalt to decline as much as 12 feet (fig. 2). During this same time period, water pumped from the aquifer at NAS Fallon and the City of Fallon wells showed that concentrations of dissolved chloride increased, although chloride concentrations were well within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) drinking-water standards; at this rate of increase, it would take decades to exceed the present standard (Maurer and Welch, 2001, p. 46). Concentrations of arsenic in the aquifer are about 0.1 milligrams per liter (mg/L), exceeding the drinking-water standard of 0.01 mg/L, but show no apparent change over time (Maurer and Welch, 2001, p. 10 and 48; U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001). Increasing concentrations of chloride may be caused by increased pumping, that induces inflow of more saline water from aquifers surrounding or underlying the basalt, or from greater depths within the basalt itself. Prior to the drilling on August 14, 2001, few wells penetrated the basalt more than 70 feet below its upper surface (Maurer and Welch, 2001, p. 34). This prevented monitoring changes in water quality deeper in the aquifer that might be moving upward with continued pumping. Purposes of drilling were to fully penetrate the basalt, determine its hydrogeological character, the distribution of water quality in the basalt and in the underlying sedimentary aquifer, install monitoring wells.

Subduction of hydrated basalt of the oceanic crust: Implications for recycling of water into the upper mantle and continental growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, R. P.

1994-01-01

Subduction zones are presently the dominant sites on Earth for recycling and mass transfer between the crust and mantle; they feed hydrated basaltic oceanic crust into the upper mantle, where dehydration reactions release aqueous fluids and/or hydrous melts. The loci for fluid and/or melt generation will be determined by the intersection of dehydration reaction boundaries of primary hydrous minerals within the subducted lithosphere with slab geotherms. For metabasalt of the oceanic crust, amphibole is the dominant hydrous mineral. The dehydration melting solidus, vapor-absent melting phase relationships; and amphibole-out phase boundary for a number of natural metabasalts have been determined experimentally, and the pressure-temperature conditions of each of these appear to be dependent on bulk composition. Whether or not the dehydration of amphibole is a fluid-generating or partial melting reaction depends on a number of factors specific to a given subduction zone, such as age and thickness of the subducting oceanic lithosphere, the rate of convergence, and the maturity of the subduction zone. In general, subduction of young, hot oceanic lithosphere will result in partial melting of metabasalt of the oceanic crust within the garnet stability field; these melts are characteristically high-Al2O3 trondhjemites, tonalites and dacites. The presence of residual garnet during partial melting imparts a distinctive trace element signature (e.g., high La/Yb, high Sr/Y and Cr/Y combined with low Cr and Y contents relative to demonstrably mantle-derived arc magmas). Water in eclogitized, subducted basalt of the oceanic crust is therefore strongly partitioned into melts generated below about 3.5 GPa in 'hot' subduction zones. Although phase equilibria experiments relevant to 'cold' subduction of hydrated natural basalts are underway in a number of high-pressure laboratories, little is known with respect to the stability of more exotic hydrous minerals (e.g., ellenbergite) and the potential for oceanic crust (including metasediments) to transport water deeper into the mantle.

Heterogeneous source components of intraplate basalts from NE China induced by the ongoing Pacific slab subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huan; Xia, Qun-Ke; Ingrin, Jannick; Deloule, Etienne

2016-04-01

In recent few years, the recycled oceanic slab has been increasingly suggested to be the enriched component in the mantle source of widespread intra-plate small-volume basaltic magmatism in eastern China. The recycled oceanic slab is a mixture of sediment, upper oceanic crust and lower gabbro oceanic crust, and will undergo alteration and dehydration during the recycling progress. The influence of these different components on the mantle source needs to be further constrained. The Chaihe-aershan volcanic field in Northeast China is located close to the surface position of the front edge of the subducted Pacific slab and includes more than 35 small-volume Quaternary basaltic volcanoes, which provides an opportunity to study the evolution of mantle source in detail and the small-scale geochemical heterogeneity of the mantle source. We measured the oxygen isotopes and water content of clinopyroxene (cpx) phenocrysts by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), respectively. The water content of magma was then estimated based on the partition coefficient of H2O between cpx and basaltic melt. The measured δ18O of cpx phenocrysts (4.27 to 8.57) and the calculated H2O content of magmas (0.23-2.70 wt.%) show large variations, reflecting the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle source. The δ18O values within individual samples also display a considerable variation, from 1.28 to 2.31‰ suggesting mixing of magmas or the sustained injection of magmas with different δ18O values during the crystallization. The relationship between the averaged δ18O values of cpx phenocrysts and the H2O/Ce, Ba/Th, Nb/La ratios and Eu anomaly of whole-rocks demonstrates the contribution to three components in the mantle source (hydrothermally altered upper oceanic crust or marine sediments, altered lower gabbroic oceanic crust, ambient mantle). The proportions of these three components varied strongly within a limited period (˜1.27 Ma to ˜0.25 Ma). As only the Pacific slab is constantly subducted to the eastern Asia during that time, we suggested that its ongoing subduction is the only reasonable candidate to result in the compositional heterogeneity and rapid variation of enriched components in such a limited and recent time. Combines with previous studies on other basalt localities of eastern China, these new results confirm that the Pacific slab subduction play a key role in the triggering of the wide spread Cenozoic basaltic volcanism in eastern China.

Nano scale dynamics of bubble nucleation in confined liquid subjected to rapid cooling: Effect of solid-liquid interfacial wettability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Mohammad Nasim; Rabbi, Kazi Fazle; Mukut, K. M.; Tamim, Saiful Islam; Faisal, A. H. M.

2017-06-01

This study focuses on the occurrence of bubble nucleation in a liquid confined in a nano scale confinement and subjected to rapid cooling at one of its wall. Due to the very small size scale of the present problem, we adopt the molecular dynamics (MD) approach. The liquid (Argon) is confined within two solid (Platinum) walls. The temperature of the upper wall of the confinement is maintained at 90 K while the lower wall is being cooled rapidly to 50 K from initial equilibrium temperature of 90 K within 0.1 ns. This results in the nucleation and formation of nanobubbles in the liquid. The pattern of bubble nucleation has been studied for three different conditions of solid-liquid interfacial wettability such as hydrophilic, hydrophobic and neutral. Behavior of bubble nucleation is significantly different in the three case of solid-liquid interfacial wettability. In case of the hydrophobic confinement (weakly adsorbing), the liquid cannot achieve deeper metastability; vapor layers appear immediately on the walls. In case of the neutral confinement (moderately adsorbing), bubble nucleation is promoted by the walls where the nucleation is heterogeneous. In case of the hydrophilic walls (strongly adsorbing) bubbles are developed inside the liquid; that is the nucleation process is homogeneous. The variation in bubble nucleation under different conditions of surface wettability has been studied by the analysis of number density distribution, spatial temperature distribution, spatial number density distribution and heat flux through the upper and lower walls of the confinement. The present study indicates that the variation of heat transfer efficiency due to different surface wettability has significant effect on the size, shape and location of bubble nucleation in case rapid cooling of liquid in nano confinement.

Acoustic emission monitoring of concrete columns and beams strengthened with fiber reinforced polymer sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Gao; Li, Hui; Zhou, Wensong; Xian, Guijun

2012-04-01

Acoustic emission (AE) technique is an effective method in the nondestructive testing (NDT) field of civil engineering. During the last two decades, Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been widely used in repairing and strengthening concrete structures. The damage state of FRP strengthened concrete structures has become an important issue during the service period of the structure and it is a meaningful work to use AE technique as a nondestructive method to assess its damage state. The present study reports AE monitoring results of axial compression tests carried on basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) confined concrete columns and three-point-bending tests carried on BFRP reinforced concrete beams. AE parameters analysis was firstly utilized to give preliminary results of the concrete fracture process of these specimens. It was found that cumulative AE events can reflect the fracture development trend of both BFRP confined concrete columns and BFRP strengthened concrete beams and AE events had an abrupt increase at the point of BFRP breakage. Then the fracture process of BFRP confined concrete columns and BFRP strengthened concrete beams was studied through RA value-average frequency analysis. The RA value-average frequency tendencies of BFRP confined concrete were found different from that of BFRP strengthened concrete beams. The variation tendency of concrete crack patterns during the loading process was revealed.

Concentration, behavior and storage of H/sub 2/O in the suboceanic upper mantle: implications for mantle metasomatism

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

Michael, P.J.

1988-02-01

Mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses from the Pacific-Nazca Ridge and the northern Juan de Fuca Ridge were analyzed for H/sub 2/O by gas chromatography. Incompatible element enriched (IEE) glasses have higher H/sub 2/O contents than depleted (IED) glasses. H/sub 2/O increases systematically with decreasing Mg/Mg + Fe/sup 2 +/ within each group. Near-primary IED MORBs have an average of about 800 ppm H/sub 2/O, while near-primary IEE MORBs (with chondrite normalized Nb/Zr or La/Sm approx. 2) have about 2100 ppm H/sub 2/O. If these basalts formed by 10-20% partial melting then the IED mantle source had 100-180 ppm H/sub 2/O, whilemore » the IEE source had 250-450 ppm H/sub 2/O. The ratio H/sub 2/O/(Ce + Nd) is fairly constant at 95 +/- 30 for all oceanic basalts from the Pacific. During trace element fractionation in the suboceanic upper mantle, H/sub 2/O behaves more compatibly than K, Rb, Nb, and Cl, but less compatibly than Sm, Zr and Ti. H/sub 2/O is contained mostly in amphibole in the shallow upper mantle. At pressures greater than the amphibole stability limit, it is likely that a significant proportion of H/sub 2/O is contained in a mantle phase which is more refractory than phlogopite at these pressures. The role of H/sub 2/O in mantle enrichment processes is examined by assuming that an enriched component was added. The modeled concentrations of K, Na, Ti and incompatible trace elements in this component are high relative to H/sub 2/O, indicating that suboceanic mantle enrichment is caused by silicate melts such as basanites and not by aqueous fluids.« less

Temperature constraints on the Ginkgo flow of the Columbia River Basalt Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Anita M.; Cashman, Katharine V.

1997-05-01

This study provides the first quantitative estimate of heat loss for a Columbia River Basalt Group flow. A glass composition-based geothermometer was experimentally calibrated for a composition representative of the 500-km-long Ginkgo flow of the Columbia River Basalt Group to measure temperature change during transport. Melting experiments were conducted on a bulk sample at 1 atm between 1200 and 1050 °C. Natural glass was sampled from the margin of a feeder dike near Kahlotus, Washington, and from pillow basalt at distances of 120 km (Vantage, Washington), 350 km (Molalla, Oregon), and 370 km (Portland, Oregon). Ginkgo basalt was also sampled at its distal end at Yaquina Head, Oregon (500 km). Comparison of the glass MgO content, K2O in plagioclase, and measured crystallinities in the experimental charges and natural samples tightly constrains the minimum flow temperature to 1085 ± 5 °C. Glass and plagioclase compositions indicate an upper temperature of 1095 ± 5 °C; thus the maximum temperature decrease along the flow axis of the Ginkgo is 20 °C, suggesting cooling rates of 0.02 0.04 °C/km. These cooling rates, substantially lower than rates observed in active and historic flows, are inconsistent with turbulent flow models. Calculated melt temperatures and viscosities of 240 750 Pa · s allow emplacement either as a fast laminar flow under an insulating crust or as a slower, inflated flow.

The petrology and geochemistry of Miller Range 05035: A new lunar gabbroic meteorite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joy, K. H.; Crawford, I. A.; Anand, M.; Greenwood, R. C.; Franchi, I. A.; Russell, S. S.

2008-08-01

Miller Range (MIL) 05035 is a lunar gabbroic meteorite. The mineralogy, Fe/Mn ratios in olivine and pyroxene, bulk-rock chemical composition and the bulk oxygen isotope values (δ 17O = 2.86-2.97‰ and δ 18O = 5.47-5.71‰) are similar to those of other mare basalts, and are taken as supporting evidence for a lunar origin for this meteorite. The sample is dominated by pyroxene grains (54-61% by area mode of thin section) along with large plagioclase feldspar (25-36% by mode) and accessory quartz, ilmenite, spinel, apatite and troilite. The bulk-rock major element composition of MIL 05035 indicates that the sample has a very low-Ti (VLT) to low-Ti lunar heritage (we measure bulk TiO 2 to be 0.9 Wt.%) and has low bulk incompatible trace element (ITE) concentrations, akin to samples from the VLT mare basalt suite. To account for these geochemical characteristics we hypothesize that MIL 05035's parental melt was derived from a mantle region dominated by early cumulates of the magma ocean (comprised principally of olivine and orthopyroxene). MIL 05035 is likely launch paired with the Asuka-881757 and Yamato-793169 basaltic lunar meteorites and the basaltic regolith breccia MET 01210. This group of meteorites (Y/A/M/M) therefore may be a part of a stratigraphic column consisting of an upper regolith environment underlain by a coarsening downwards basalt lava flow.

Origin of the Mackenzie large igneous province and sourcing of flood basalts from layered intrusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, J. M.; Pearson, D.

2013-12-01

The 1.27 Ga Coppermine continental flood basalt (CFB) in northern Canada represents the extrusive manifestation of the Mackenzie large igneous province (LIP) that includes the Mackenzie dyke swarm and the Muskox layered intrusion. New Re-Os isotope and highly siderophile element (HSE: Re, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ir, Os) abundance data are reported together with whole-rock major- and trace-element abundances and Nd isotopes to examine the behaviour of the HSE during magmatic differentiation and to place constraints on the extent of crustal interaction with mantle-derived melts. Mineral-chemical data are also reported for an unusual andesite glass flow (4.9 wt.% MgO) found in proximity to newly recognised picrites (>20 wt.% MgO) in the lowermost stratigraphy of the Coppermine CFB. Compositions of mineral phases in the andesite are similar to equivalent phases found in Muskox Intrusion chromitites and the melt composition is identical to Muskox chromite melt inclusions. Elevated HSE contents (e.g., 3.8 ppb Os) and the mantle-like initial Os isotope composition of this andesitic glass contrast strongly with oxygen isotope and lithophile element evidence for extensive crustal contamination. These signatures implicate an origin for the glass as a magma mingling product formed within the Muskox Intrusion during chromitite genesis. The combination of crust and mantle signatures define roles for both these reservoirs in chromitite genesis, but the HSE appear to be dominantly mantle-sourced. Combined with Nd isotope data that places the feeder for lower Coppermine CFB picrites and basalts within the Muskox Intrusion, this provides the strongest evidence yet for direct processing of some CFB within upper-crustal magma chambers. Modeling of absolute and relative HSE abundances in CFB reveal that HSE concentrations decrease with increasing fractionation for melts with <8×1 wt.% MgO in the Coppermine CFB, with picrites (>13.5wt.% MgO) from CFB having higher Os abundances than ocean island basalt (OIB) equivalents. The differences between CFB and OIB picrite absolute Os abundances may result from higher degrees of partial melting to form CFB but may also reflect incorporation of trace sulphide in CFB picrites from magmas that reached S-saturation in shallow-level magma chambers. Significant inter-element fractionation between (Re+Pt+Pd)/(Os+Ir+Ru) are generated during magmatic differentiation in response to strongly contrasting partitioning of these two groups of elements into sulphides and/or HSE-rich alloys. Furthermore, fractional crystallization has a greater role on absolute and relative HSE abundances than crustal contamination under conditions of CFB petrogenesis due to the dilution effect of continental crust. The Coppermine CFB define a Re-Os isochron with an age of 1263 +16/-20 Ma and initial gamma Os = +2.2×0.8. Combined data for the basaltic and intrusive portions of the Mackenzie LIP indicate a mantle source broadly within the range of the primitive upper mantle. The majority of Archaean komatiites and Phanerozoic CFB also require mantle sources with primitive upper mantle to chondritic Re/Os evolution, with exceptions typically being from analyses of highly-fractionated MgO-poor basalts.

Strong Matrix & Weak Blocks: Evolutionary Inversion of Mélange Rheological Relationships During Subduction and Its Implications for Seismogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, A. P.; Vannucchi, P.; Ougier-Simonin, A.; Morgan, J. P.

2017-12-01

Subduction zone interface layers are often conceived to be heterogeneous, polyrheological zones analogous to exhumed mélanges. Mélanges typically contain mechanically strong blocks within a weaker matrix. However, our geomechanical study of the Osa Mélange, SW Costa Rica shows that this mélange contains blocks of altered basalt which are now weaker in friction than their surrounding indurated volcanoclastic matrix. Triaxial deformation experiments were conducted on samples of both the altered basalt blocks and the indurated volcanoclastic matrix at confining pressures of 60 and 120 MPa. These revealed that the volcanoclastic matrix has a strength 7.5 times that of the altered basalt at 60 MPa and 4 times at 120 MPa, with the altered basalt experiencing multi-stage failure. The inverted strength relationship between weaker blocks and stronger matrix evolved during subduction and diagenesis of the melange unit by dewatering, compaction and diagenesis of the matrix and cataclastic brecciation and hydrothermal alteration of the basalt blocks. During the evolution of this material, the matrix progressively indurated until its plastic yield stress became greater than the brittle yield stress of the blocks. At this point, the typical rheological relationship found within melanges inverts and melange blocks can fail seismically as the weakest links along the subduction plate interface. The Osa Melange is currently in the forearc of the erosive Middle America Trench and is being incorporated into the subduction zone interface at the updip limit of seismogenesis. The presence of altered basalt blocks acting as weak inclusions within this rock unit weakens the mélange as a whole rock mass. Seismic fractures can nucleate at or within these weak inclusions and the size of the block may limit the size of initial microseismic rock failure. However, when fractures are able to bridge across the matrix between blocks, significantly larger rupture areas may be possible. While this mechanism is a promising candidate for the updip limit of the unusually shallow seismogenic zone beneath Osa, it remains to be seen whether analogous evolutionary strength-inversions control the updip limit of other subduction seismogenic zones.

The 1994-2001 eruptive period at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea: Petrological and geochemical evidence for basalt injections into a shallow dacite magma reservoir, and significant SO2 flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patia, H.; Eggins, S. M.; Arculus, R. J.; McKee, C. O.; Johnson, R. W.; Bradney, A.

2017-10-01

The eruptions that began at Rabaul Caldera on 19 September 1994 had two focal points, the vents Tavurvur and Vulcan, located 6 km apart on opposing sides of the caldera. Vulcan eruptives define a tight cluster of dacite compositions, whereas Tavurvur eruptives span an array from equivalent dacite compositions to mafic andesites. The eruption of geochemically and mineralogically identical dacites from both vents indicates sourcing from the same magma reservoir. This, together with previously reported H2O-CO2 volatile contents of dacite melt inclusions, a caldera-wide seismic low-velocity zone, and a seismically active caldera ring fault structure are consistent with the presence at 3-6 km depth of an extensive, tabular dacitic magma body having volume of about 15-150 km3. The Tavurvur andesites form a linear compositional array and have strongly bimodal phenocryst assemblages that reflect dacite hybridisation with a mafic basalt. The moderately large volume SO2 flux documented in the Tavurvur volcanic plume (and negligible SO2 flux in the Vulcan plume) combined with high dissolved S contents of basaltic melt inclusions trapped in olivine of Tavurvur eruptives, indicate that the amount of degassed basaltic magma was 0.1 km3 and suggest that the injection of this magma was confined to the Tavurvur-side (eastern to northeastern sector) of the caldera. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the eruption was triggered and evolved in response to a series of basaltic magma injections that may have commenced in 1971 and continued up until at least the start of the 1994 eruptions. The presence of zoned plagioclase phenocrysts reflecting older basalt-dacite interaction events (i.e. anorthite cores overgrown with thick andesine rims), evaluation of limited available data for the products of previous eruptions in 1878 and 1937-1943, and the episodic occurrence of major intra-caldera seismo-deformational events indicates that the shallow magma system at Rabaul Caldera is subjected to repeated mafic magma injections at intervals of several years to several decades.

Long Valley Caldera Lake and reincision of Owens River Gorge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy

2016-12-16

Owens River Gorge, today rimmed exclusively in 767-ka Bishop Tuff, was first cut during the Neogene through a ridge of Triassic granodiorite to a depth as great as its present-day floor and was then filled to its rim by a small basaltic shield at 3.3 Ma. The gorge-filling basalt, 200 m thick, blocked a 5-km-long reach of the upper gorge, diverting the Owens River southward around the shield into Rock Creek where another 200-m-deep gorge was cut through the same basement ridge. Much later, during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 22 (~900–866 ka), a piedmont glacier buried the diversion and deposited a thick sheet of Sherwin Till atop the basalt on both sides of the original gorge, showing that the basalt-filled reach had not, by then, been reexcavated. At 767 ka, eruption of the Bishop Tuff blanketed the landscape with welded ignimbrite, deeply covering the till, basalt, and granodiorite and completely filling all additional reaches of both Rock Creek canyon and Owens River Gorge. The ignimbrite rests directly on the basalt and till along the walls of Owens Gorge, but nowhere was it inset against either, showing that the basalt-blocked reach had still not been reexcavated. Subsidence of Long Valley Caldera at 767 ka produced a steep-walled depression at least 700 m deeper than the precaldera floor of Owens Gorge, which was beheaded at the caldera’s southeast rim. Caldera collapse reoriented proximal drainages that had formerly joined east-flowing Owens River, abruptly reversing flow westward into the caldera. It took 600,000 years of sedimentation in the 26-km-long, usually shallow, caldera lake to fill the deep basin and raise lake level to its threshold for overflow. Not until then did reestablishment of Owens River Gorge begin, by incision of the gorge-filling ignimbrite.

Petrology of Hualalai volcano, Hawaii: Implication for mantle composition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clague, D.A.; Jackson, E.D.; Wright, T.L.

1980-01-01

Hualalai is one of five volcanoes whose eruptions built the island of Hawaii. The historic 1800-1801 flows and the analyzed prehistoric flows exposed at the surface are alkalic basalts except for a trachyte cone and flow at Puu Waawaa and a trachyte maar deposit near Waha Pele. The 1800-1801 eruption produced two flows: the upper Kaupulehu flow and the lower Huehue flow. The analyzed lavas of the two 1800-1801 flows are geochemically identical with the exception of a few samples from the toe of the Huehue flow that appear to be derived from a separate magmatic batch. The analyzed prehistoric basalts are nearly identical to the 1800-1801 flows but include some lavas that have undergone considerable shallow crystal fractionation. The least fractionated alkalic basalts from Hualalai are in equilibrium with mantle olivine (Fo87) indicating that the Hawaiian mantle source region is not unusually iron-rich. The 1800-1801 and analyzed prehistoric basalts can be generated by about 5-10% partial fusion of a garnet-bearing source relatively enriched in the light-rare-earths. The mantle underlying the Hawaiian Islands is chemically and mineralogically heterogeneous before and after extraction of the magmas that make up the volcanoes. ?? 1980 Intern. Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior.

Enriched and depleted characters of the Amnay Ophiolite upper crustal section and the regionally heterogeneous nature of the South China Sea mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Americus d. C.; Faustino-Eslava, Decibel V.; Yumul, Graciano P.; Dimalanta, Carla B.; Tamayo, Rodolfo A.; Yang, Tsanyao Frank; Zhou, Mei-Fu

2013-03-01

The volcanic section of the Middle Oligocene Amnay Ophiolite in Mindoro, Philippines has previously been shown to be of normalmid-oceanic ridge basalt (NMORB) composition. Here we report for the first time an enriched mantle component that is additionally recorded in this crustal section. New whole rock major and trace element data are presented for nine mafic volcanic rocks from a section of the ophiolite that has not been previously examined. These moderately evolved tholeiitic basalts were found to have resulted from the bulk mixing of ˜10% ocean island basalt components with depleted mantle. Drawing together various geochemical characteristics reported for different rock suites taken as representatives of the South China Sea crust, including the enriched MORB (EMORB) and NMORB of the East Taiwan Ophiolite, the NMORB from previous studies of the Amnay Ophiolite and the younger ocean floor eruptives of the Scarborough Seamount-Reed Bank region, a veined mantle model is proposed for the South China Sea mantle. The NMORB magmatic products are suggested to have been derived from the more depleted portions of the mantle whereas the ocean island basalt (OIB) and EMORB-type materials from the mixing of depleted and veined/enriched mantle regions.

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of “Upper explosive limit.” The terms upper flammable limit (UFL) and upper explosive limit (UEL) are used interchangeably in fire science... life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level greater than 20.8 percent by volume should...

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of “Upper explosive limit.” The terms upper flammable limit (UFL) and upper explosive limit (UEL) are used interchangeably in fire science... life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level greater than 20.8 percent by volume should...

Volcanic Diapirs: Evidence of Volatile Driven Convection within Jurassic Flood Basalt Flows, Paterson, New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puffer, J. H.; Laskowich, C.

2009-12-01

Volcanic diapirs are defined here as primary dome-shaped structures composed of vesicular colonnade that has displaced overlying entablatures. The diapirs of the Orange Mountain Basalt extend from the top of a lower colonnade to about 2 to over 20 m into an overlying entablature. The total thickness of the diapir bearing flow is about 70 m. Twenty-eight diapirs have been found in the first of the three flows of Orange Mountain Basalt; an additional large diapir was found in the first of five Preakness Basalt flows. One large active Paterson area trap-rock quarry was monitored on a nearly daily basis for 15 years where 9 diapirs were exposed at random but widely separated locations throughout a 15,000 square meters area. Orange Mountain diapirs and adjacent colonnade layers are composed of basalt characterized by poorly developed columnar jointing in contrast to overlying well developed entablatures. The cooling joint pattern of overlying entablatures radiates away from the diapirs indicating a primary igneous origin. The diapirs are distinctly enriched in sodic plagioclase and are chemically characterized by sodium, titanium, boron, and copper enrichment with depletion of aluminum, calcium, and potassium compared to entablature compositions. They contain abundant partially collapsed vesicles up to 1.5 m across lined with prehnite, calcite, copper sulfides, and trace amounts of zeolites (including heulandite, stilbite) and pectolite. They superficially resemble tumulus but are not developed at or near flow tops. Diapirs also resemble very large volcanic spiracles but are not developed at the basal contact of flows. The occurrence of diapirs within the Orange Mountain basalt demonstrates the ability of volatiles to vertically transport large masses of highly enriched melt or crystal mush into central to upper flow positions. Volatile driven convection has been proposed by several authors as a mechanism capable of emplacing pegmatoids and segregation veins within thick flood basalts. Pegmatoid layers and segregation veins have not been found in any Orange Mountain flow, however they are common in overlying, less mafic Preakness basalt flows. Slight differences in magma viscosity and volatile content may control the conditions favoring development and preservation of diapirs in Orange Mountain vs. Preakness flows.

Origin of major element chemical trends in DSDP Leg 37 basalts, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Byerly, G.R.; Wright, T.L.

1978-01-01

In this paper we summarize the major element chemical variation for basalts from the Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 37 and relate it to stratigraphic position in each of five drilling sites. Least-squares techniques are successfully used to quantify the nature and extent of alteration in these basalts, and to correct the major element analysis back to a magmatic, or alteration-free, composition on the assumption that alteration takes place in two ways: (1) secondary minerals are introduced into veins and vesicles, and (2) CO2 and H2O react with components in the rock to form a simple alteration assemblage. A chemical stratigraphy is defined for these basalts by grouping lavas whose chemistries are related by low-pressure phenocryst-liquid differentiation as identified by least-squares calculation. Major chemical-stratigraphic units are as much as 200 m thick; correlations of these units can be made between the holes at site 332 (about 100 m apart), but not between the other sites. Compositions of parental magmas are calculated by extrapolating low-pressure variations to a constant value of 9% MgO. The differences in these extrapolated compositions reflect high-pressure processes, and suggest that clinopyroxene may be an important phase in either intermediate-level fractionation of basaltic liquids, or as a residual phase during the partial melting which produces these basaltic liquids. Several of the basaltic liquids calculated as parental to the Leg 37 basalts have CaO contents greater than 14% and indicate that the oceanic mantle is richer in CaO and Al2O3 than values used in pyrolite models for the upper mantle. A model for magma generation and eruption beneath the Mid-Atlantic Ridge embodies the following characteristics: 1. (1) Separate magma batches are generated in the mantle. 2. (2) Each of these may be erupted directly or stored at shallow depth where significant fractionation takes place. Common fractionation processes are inferred to be gravitative settling of olivine, flotation (?) of plagioclase, and flow differentiation of an olivine-plagioclase-augite assemblage. 3. (3) Eruption of fractionated lava derived from earlier magma batches may alternate with eruption of younger less-fractionated or unfractionated magma. ?? 1978.

Magmatic inclusions in rhyolites, contaminated basalts, and compositional zonation beneath the Coso volcanic field, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, C.R.; Metz, J.

1984-01-01

Basaltic lava flows and high-silica rhyolite domes form the Pleistocene part of the Coso volcanic field in southeastern California. The distribution of vents maps the areal zonation inferred for the upper parts of the Coso magmatic system. Subalkalic basalts (<50% SiO2) were erupted well away from the rhyolite field at any given time. Compositional variation among these basalts can be ascribed to crystal fractionation. Erupted volumes of these basalts decrease with increasing differentiation. Mafic lavas containing up to 58% SiO2, erupted adjacent to the rhyolite field, formed by mixing of basaltic and silicic magma. Basaltic magma interacted with crustal rocks to form other SiO2-rich mafic lavas erupted near the Sierra Nevada fault zone. Several rhyolite domes in the Coso volcanic field contain sparse andesitic inclusions (55-61% SiO2). Pillow-like forms, intricate commingling and local diffusive mixing of andesite and rhyolite at contacts, concentric vesicle distribution, and crystal morphologies indicative of undercooling show that inclusions were incorporated in their rhyolitic hosts as blobs of magma. Inclusions were probably dispersed throughout small volumes of rhyolitic magma by convective (mechanical) mixing. Inclusion magma was formed by mixing (hybridization) at the interface between basaltic and rhyolitic magmas that coexisted in vertically zoned igneous systems. Relict phenocrysts and the bulk compositions of inclusions suggest that silicic endmembers were less differentiated than erupted high-silica rhyolite. Changes in inferred endmembers of magma mixtures with time suggest that the steepness of chemical gradients near the silicic/mafic interface in the zoned reservoir may have decreased as the system matured, although a high-silica rhyolitic cap persisted. The Coso example is an extreme case of large thermal and compositional contrast between inclusion and host magmas; lesser differences between intermediate composition magmas and inclusions lead to undercooling phenomena that suggest smaller ??T. Vertical compositional zonation in magma chambers has been documented through study of products of voluminous pyroclastic eruptions. Magmatic inclusions in volcanic rocks provide evidence for compositional zonation and mixing processes in igneous systems when only lava is erupted. ?? 1984 Springer-Verlag.

Injection and Monitoring at the Wallula Basalt Pilot Project

DOE PAGES

McGrail, B. Peter; Spane, Frank A.; Amonette, James E.; ...

2014-01-01

Continental flood basalts represent one of the largest geologic structures on earth but have received comparatively little attention for geologic storage of CO2. Flood basalt lava flows have flow tops that are porous, permeable, and have large potential capacity for storage of CO2. In appropriate geologic settings, interbedded sediment layers and dense low-permeability basalt rock flow interior sections may act as effective seals allowing time for mineralization reactions to occur. Previous laboratory experiments showed the relatively rapid chemical reaction of CO2-saturated pore water with basalts to form stable carbonate minerals. However, recent laboratory tests with water-saturated supercritical CO2 show thatmore » mineralization reactions occur in this phase as well, providing a second and potentially more important mineralization pathway than was previously understood. Field testing of these concepts is proceeding with drilling of the world’s first supercritical CO2 injection well in flood basalt being completed in May 2009 near the township of Wallula in Washington State and corresponding CO2 injection permit granted by the State of Washington in March 2011. Injection of a nominal 1000 MT of CO2 was completed in August 2013 and site monitoring is in progress. Well logging conducted immediately after injection termination confirmed the presence of CO2 predominantly within the upper flow top region, and showed no evidence of vertical CO2 migration outside the well casing. Shallow soil gas samples collected around the injection well show no evidence of leakage and fluid and gas samples collected from the injection zone show strongly elevated concentrations of Ca, Mg, Mn, and Fe and 13C/18O isotopic shifts that are consistent with basalt-water chemical reactions. If proven viable by this field test and others that are in progress or being planned, major flood basalts in the U.S., India, and perhaps Australia would provide significant additional CO2 storage capacity and additional geologic sequestration options in regions of these countries where conventional storage options are limited.« less

Hydrogeologic framework and geologic structure of the Floridan aquifer system and intermediate confining unit in the Lake Okeechobee area, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reese, Ronald S.

2014-01-01

The successful implementation of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) as a water-management tool requires detailed information on the hydrologic and hydraulic properties of the potential water storage zones. This report presents stratigraphic and hydrogeologic sections of the upper part of the Floridan aquifer system and the overlying confining unit or aquifer system in the Lake Okeechobee area, and contour maps of the upper contacts of the Ocala Limestone and the Arcadia Formation, which are represented in the sections. The sections and maps illustrate hydrogeologic factors such as confinement of potential storage zones, the distribution of permeability within the zones, and geologic features that may control the efficiency of injection, storage, and recovery of water, and thus may influence decisions on ASR activities in areas of interest to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Karst connections between unconfined aquifers and the Upper Floridan aquifer in south Georgia: geophysical evidence and hydrogeological models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thieme, D. M.; Denizman, C.

2011-12-01

Buried karst features in sedimentary rocks of the south Georgia Coastal Plain present a challenge for hydrogeological models of recharge and confined flow within the underlying Upper Floridan aquifer. The Withlacoochee River, the trunk stream for the area, frequently disappears into subsurface caverns as it makes its way south to join the Suwannee River in northern Florida. The Withlacoochee also receives inputs from small ponds and bays which in turn receive spring and seep groundwater inputs. We have mapped karst topography at the "top of rock" using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Up to seven meters of relief is indicated for the paleotopography on Miocene to Pliocene rocks, contrasting with the more subdued relief of the modern landscape. Current stratigraphic and hydrogeological reconstructions do not incorporate this amount of relief or lateral variation in the confining beds. One "pipe" which is approximately four meters in diameter is being mapped in detail. We have field evidence at this location for rapid movement of surficial pond and river water with a meteoric signature through several separate strata of sedimentary rock into an aquifer in the Hawthorn formation. We use our geophysical and hydrological field evidence to constrain quantitative hydrogeological models for the flow rates into and out of both this upper aquifer and the underlying Upper Floridan aquifer, which is generally considered to be confined by the clays of the Hawthorn.

The effect of pressure and temperature on sulfur degassing from oxidized magmas: implications for magmatic-hydrothermal ore genesis and "excess sulfur" in volcanic eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajacz, Z.

2017-12-01

Sulfur released during the ascent and crystallization of hydrous and oxidized arc magmas is thought to play an essential role in the genesis of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits, such as porphyry Cu-Mo-Au and high-sulfidation epithermal Au deposits. If emitted into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions, it may exert a significant short-term global impact on the Earth's climate due to the generation of sulfate aerosol. Therefore, it is critically important to understand how physical-chemical variables affect the efficiency of sulfur extraction from magmas. High pressure (P) -temperature (T) experiments were conducted to systematically address the effect P-T on the equilibrium partitioning of oxidized sulfur between silicate melts and magmatic volatiles. The confining P was varied between 30 and 480 MPa, whereas the temperature ranged between 920 and 1100 oC. The oxygen fugacity (fO2) was buffered using Re-ReO2 assemblage in all experiments ensuring that sulfur was dominantly present in 4+ and 6+ oxidation state. For the pressure series experiments, a phonolite and a basaltic andesite melt composition was used, because sulfur is thought to be dissolved dominantly as alkali sulfate species in the former and as CaSO4 species in the latter. The data show that the volatile/melt partition coefficients of oxidized sulfur (DSv/m) strongly increase with decreasing pressure for both melt compositions. For example, in the case of the basaltic andesite melt, DSv/m increases from 12.7±0.5 to 71±4 as P changes from 480 to 60 MPa. For the temperature series experiments, the basaltic andesite was replaced by a dacite melt to allow for a broader range of superliquidus temperatures within the reach of the experimental apparatus. The effect of temperature on DSv/m is more moderate than that of P. For the dacite melt, DSv/m dropped by a factor of 2 as temperature decreased from 1100 to 920 oC. The DSv/m values were combined with anhydrite solubility data and implemented in a MELTS model of magma evolution in upper crust. The results of the model calculations suggest that shallower magma emplacement depth is more favorable for effective sulfur extraction by the exsolving volatile phase, and therefore it increases the likelihood of porphyry-ore formation and may lead to larger amounts of "excess sulfur" observed in volcanic eruptions.

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.

Back-arc with frontal-arc component origin of Triassic Karmutsen basalt, British Columbia, Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Sutherland, Brown A.; Budahn, J.R.; Plafker, G.

1989-01-01

The largely basaltic, ???4.5-6.2-km-thick, Middle to Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation is a prominent part of the Wrangellian sequence. Twelve analyses of major and minor elements of representative samples of pillowed and massive basalt flows and sills from Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands are ferrotholeiites that show a range of 10.2-3.8% MgO (as normalized, H2O- and CO2-free) and related increases in TiO2 (1.0-2.5%), Zr (43-147 ppm) and Nb (5-16 ppm). Other elemental abundances are not related simply to MgO: distinct groupings are evident in Al2O3, Na2O and Cr, but considerable scatter is present in FeO* (FeO + 0.9Fe2O3) and CaO. Some of the variation is attributed to alteration during low-rank metamorphism or by seawater - including variation of Ba, Rb, Sr and Cu, but high-field-strength elements (Sc, Ti, Y, Zr and Nb) as well as Cr, Ni, Cu and rare-earth elements (REE's) were relatively immobile. REE's show chondrite-normalized patterns ranging from light-REE depleted to moderately light-REE enriched. On eleven discriminant plots these analyses fall largely into or across fields of within-plate basalt (WIP), normal or enriched mid-ocean-ridge tholeiite (MORB) and island-arc tholeiite (IAT). Karmutsen basalts are chemically identical to the stratigraphically equivalent Nikolai Greenstone of southern Alaska and Yukon Territory. These data and the fact that the Karmutsen rests on Sicker Group island-arc rocks of Paleozoic age suggest to us that: 1. (1) the basal arc, after minor carbonate-shale deposition, underwent near-axial back-arc rifting (as, e.g., the Mariana arc rifted at different times); 2. (2) the Karmutsen basalts were erupted along this rift or basin as "arc-rift" tholeiitite; and 3. (3) after subsequent deposition of carbonates and other rocks, and Jurassic magmatism, a large fragment of this basalt-sediment-covered island arc was accreted to North America as Wrangellia. The major- and minor-elemental abundances of Karmutsen basalt is modeled by first mixing primitive arc magma with enriched basaltic liquid derived either from garnet peridotite or metasomatized mantle, followed by fractionation of olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase and spinel. ?? 1989.

Proceedings of the Ground-Water Detection Workshop Held at Vicksburg, Mississippi on 12-14 January 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

shales and hard aquiferic car- bonates. Therefore, small confined and perched aquifers can occur in a number of localities. The basement complex...the region that extends from Saudia Arabia all the way into Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia is from older to younger strata. The major aquifer in the... aquifers all the way down the stratigraphic section--a phreatic one at the top, then semi- confined and confined aquifers until we get to upper

The Rhyolite Flare-up of the Columbia River Basalt Province and its Bearing on Plume vs. Non-plume Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streck, M. J.; Ferns, M. L.

2012-12-01

The decades-long controversy as to whether the Columbia River Basalt province results from arrival of a deep mantle plume is far from over, as new non-plume models are proposed. Age-progressive rhyolites of the Snake River Plain are a centerpiece to a migrating plume model that ties mid-Miocene flood basalt magmatism to the present location of the Yellowstone hotspot. However voluminous mid-Miocene rhyolites coeval with the flood basalts of the Columbia River Basalt province have received little attention. These long-known but relatively underappreciated rhyolite occurrences in eastern Oregon and neighboring areas erupted across the province over a narrow time window making the Columbia River province a strongly bimodal (basalt-rhyolite) Large Igneous Province. The entire rhyolite distribution area has roughly a circular area of about a diameter of 300 km and stretches from rhyolite centers near the towns of Baker City and John Day, Oregon in the north to rhyolite centers of the High Rock Desert, Nevada in the SW and the Jarbidge Rhyolite, Idaho in the SE. Oldest rhyolites are ~16.5 Ma in age and occur both along the southern E-W tangent (including McDermitt) and, in lesser volumes, in the central to northern sector. The considerable data that have been generated over the last few years on rhyolites of the southern sector is now being supplemented by new data that we have begun collecting on rhyolites further north. Province-wide rhyolite volcanism was strongest between ~16.4 and 15.4 Ma coincident with eruptions of the most voluminous member of the CRBG - the Grande Ronde Basalt. This widespread rhyolite volcanism indicates that CRBG crustal inputs were focused during this narrow time window over a large area. Magmas in the upper Grande Ronde Basalt that compositionally correlate with glassy mafic inclusions in the rhyolitic Dinner Creek Tuff effectively place one CRBG crustal storage site below a major silicic center. Youngest rhyolites range from ~14.5 to 12.5 Ma and erupted from central as well as peripherally located areas of the province overlapping along the eastern and western margins with what is traditionally already considered part of age-progressive rhyolites of the Yellowstone and High-Lava Plains trends. In summary, rhyolites are markers of where a thermal pulse originating from the mantle is delivered to the crust via injection of basalt and suggest the following. There is no true south-to-north age progression within the Province; earlier venting in the south (Steens Basalt) could be simply caused by rhyolites acting as density filters that deflected basalt eruptions to areas where little rhyolite was generated. The arrival of the thermal anomaly associated with flood basalts that is essentially instantaneous across a circular area of 300 km lies at the heart of the broader debate on plume vs. non-plume models of this flood basalt province.

Mesozoic units in SE Rhodope (Bulgaria): new structural and petrologic data and geodynamic implications for the Early Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous evolution of the Vardar ocean basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, N.; Stampfli, G.

2003-04-01

In the southeastern Rhodope, both in southern Bulgaria and northern Greece, Mesozoic low-grade to non-metamorphic units, together with similar units in the eastern Vardar zone, were designated as the Circum-Rhodope Belt (CRB) that fringes the Rhodope high-grade metamorphic complex. In the Bulgarian southeastern Rhodope, Mesozoic units show a complicated tectono-stratigraphy underlaid by amphibolite-facies basement units. The basement sequence includes a lower orthogneiss unit with eclogite and meta-ophiolite lenses overlain by an upper marble-schist unit, presumably along a SSW-directed detachment fault as indicated by shear sense indicators. The Mesozoic sequence starts with greenschist units at the base, overlaying the basement along the tectonic contact. Mineral assemblages such as actinolite-chlorite-white mica ± garnet in schists and phyllites indicate medium greenschist facies metamorphism. Kinematic indicators in the same unit demonstrate a top-to-the NNW and NNE shear deformation coeval with metamorphism, subparallel to NW-SE to NE-SW trending mineral elongation lineation and axis of NW vergent small-scale folds. The greenschist unit is overlain by tectonic or depositional contact of melange-like unit that consists of diabases with Lower Jurassic radiolarian chert interlayers, Upper Permian siliciclastics and Middle-Upper Triassic limestones found as blocks in olistostromic member, embedded in Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous turbiditic matrix. The uppermost sedimentary-volcanogenic unit is represented by andesito-basalt lavas and gabbro-diorites, interbedded with terrigeneous-marl and tufaceous sediments that yield Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) fossils, related to the Late Cretaceous back-arc magmatic activity to the north in Sredna Gora zone. Petrologic and geochemical data indicates sub-alkaline and tholeiitic character of the greenschists and ophiolitic basaltic lavas, and the latter are classified as low-K and very low-Ti basalts with some boninitic affinity. Immobile trace element discrimination of both rock types constrains the volcanic (oceanic)-arc origin. They generally show low total REE concentrations (LREE>HREE) with enrichment of LIL elements relative to the HFS elements, and also very low Nb and relatively high Ce content consistent with an island-arc tectonic setting. We consider that the Meliata-Maliac ocean northern passive margin could be the source provenance for the Upper Permian clastics and Middle-Upper Triassic limestone blocks within the olistostromic melange-like unit, whereas turbidites and magmatic blocks may originate in an island arc-accretionary complex that relates to the southward subduction of the Maliac ocean under the supra-subduction back-arc Vardar ocean/island arc system. These new structural and petrologic data allow to precise the tectonic setting of the Mesozoic units and their geodynamic context in the frame of the Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous evolution of the Vardar ocean.

Origin of ophiolite complexes related to intra-oceanic subduction initiation: implications of IODP Expedition 352 (Izu-Bonin fore arc)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Alastair; Avery, Aaron; Carvallo, Claire; Christeson, Gail; Ferré, Eric; Kurz, Walter; Kutterolf, Steffen; Morgan, Sally; Pearce, Julian; Reagan, Mark; Sager, William; Shervais, John; Whattam, Scott; International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 352 (Izu-Bonin-Mariana Fore Arc), the Scientific Party of

2015-04-01

Ophiolites, representing oceanic crust exposed on land (by whatever means), are central to the interpretation of many orogenic belts (e.g. E Mediterranean). Based mostly on geochemical evidence, ophiolites are widely interpreted, in many but by no means all cases, as having formed within intra-oceanic settings above subduction zones (e.g. Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus). Following land geological, dredging and submersible studies, fore arcs of the SW Pacific region became recognised as likely settings of supra-subduction zone ophiolite genesis. This hypothesis was tested by recent drilling of the Izu-Bonin fore arc. Four sites were drilled, two on the outer fore arc and two on the upper trench slope. Site survey seismic data, combined with borehole data, indicate that three of the sites are located in fault-controlled sediment ponds that formed in response to dominantly down-to the-west extensional faulting (with hints of preceding top-to-the-east compressional thrusting). The sediments overlying the igneous basement, of maximum Late Eocene to Recent age, document ash and aeolian input, together with mass wasting of the fault-bounded sediment ponds. At the two more trenchward sites (U1440 and U1441), mostly tholeiitic basalts were drilled, including massive and pillowed lavas and hyaloclastite. Geochemically, these extrusives are of near mid-oceanic ridge basalt composition (fore arc basalts). Subtle chemical deviation from normal MORB can be explained by weakly fluid-influenced melting during decompression melting in the earliest stages of supra-subduction zone spreading (not as 'trapped' older MORB). The remaining two sites, c. 6 km to the west (U1439 and U1442), penetrated dominantly high-magnesian andesites, known as boninites, largely as fragmental material. Their formation implies the extraction of highly depleted magmas from previously depleted, refractory upper mantle in a supra-subduction zone setting. Following supra-subduction zone spreading, the active modern arc formed c. 200 km westwards of the trench. The new drilling evidence proves that both fore arc-type basalt and boninite formed in a fore arc setting soon after subduction initiation (c.52 Ma). Comparisons with ophiolites reveal many similarities, especially the presence of fore arc-type basalts and low calcium boninites. The relative positions of the fore arc basalts, boninites and arc basalts in the Izu Bonin and Mariana forearc (based on previous studies) can be compared with the positions of comparable units in a range of ophiolite complexes in orogenic belts including the Troodos, Oman, Greek (e.g. Vourinos), Albanian (Mirdita), Coast Range (California) and Bay of Islands (Newfoundland) ophiolites. The comparisons support the interpretation that all of the ophiolites formed during intra-oceanic subduction initiation. There are also some specific differences between the individual ophiolites suggesting that ophiolites should be interpreted individually in their regional tectonic settings.

Metal transports and enrichments in iron depositions hosted in basaltic rocks. II: Metal rich fluids and Fe origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ronghua; Zhang, Xuetong; Hu, Shumin

2015-12-01

This study focuses on revealing the mechanism of metal transport, enrichment and Fe origin of iron deposition during water basalt interactions occurred in basaltic rocks. Observations of the iron deposits (anhydrite-magnetite-pyroxene type deposits) hosted in K-rich basaltic rocks in the Mesozoic volcanic area of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River valley, China, indicate that the mechanism of metal transport and enrichment for those deposits are significant objective to scientists, and the Fe origin problem is not well resolved. Here the metal transport, enrichment and iron origin have been investigated in high temperature experiments of water basaltic interactions. These deposits were accompanying a wide zone with metal alteration. The effects of hydrothermal alteration on major rock-forming element concentrations in basaltic rock were investigated by systematically comparing the chemical compositions of altered rocks with those of fresh rocks. In the deposits, these metals are distributed throughout altered rocks that exhibit vertical zoning from the deeper to the shallow. Then, combined with the investigations of the metal-alterations, we performed kinetic experiments of water-basaltic rock interactions using flow-through reactors in open systems at temperatures from 20 °C to 550 °C, 23-34 MPa. Release rates for the rock-forming elements from the rocks have been measured. Experiments provide the release rates for various elements at a large temperature range, and indicate that the dissolution rates (release rates) for various elements vary with temperature. Si, Al, and K have high release rates at temperatures from 300 °C to 500 °C; the maximum release rates (RMX) for Si are reached at temperatures from 300 °C to 400 °C. The RMXs for Ca, Mg, and Fe are at low temperatures from 20 °C to 300 °C. Results demonstrate that Fe is not released from 400 °C to 550 °C, and indicate that when deep circling fluids passed through basaltic rocks, Fe was not mobile, and fixed in the rocks at temperatures from 400 °C to 550 °C. Significance of the results is to provide evidence that the Fe of ores originated from basalt, and Fe-oxides precipitated across the critical state of water. Simultaneously, Ca, Mg and Fe are fixed in the deeper altered rocks (mafic minerals). But, Fe was dissolved at relatively low temperatures (100-300 °C). Si, Al, and K were easily mobile from basalt by upward flowing fluids from 300 °C to 400 °C and transported to the upper part (silicified and argillized rock).

Fragmentation, Cost and Environmental Effects of Plaster Stemming Method for Blasting at A Basalt Quarry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cevizci, Halim

2014-10-01

In this study, the plaster stemming application for blasting at a basalt quarry is studied. Drill cuttings are generally used in open pits and quarries as the most common stemming material since these are most readily available at blast sites. However, dry drill cuttings eject very easily from blastholes without offering much resistance to blast energy. The plaster stemming method has been found to be better than the drill cuttings stemming method due to increased confinement inside the hole and better utilization of blast explosive energy in the rock. The main advantage of the new stemming method is the reduction in the cost of blasting. At a basalt quarry, blasting costs per unit volume of rock were reduced to 15% by increasing burden and spacing distances. In addition, better fragmentation was obtained by using the plaster stemming method. Blast trials showed that plaster stemming produced finer material. In the same blast tests, +30 cm size fragments were reduced to 47.3% of the total, compared to 32.6% in the conventional method of drill cuttings stemming. With this method of stemming, vibration and air shock values increased slightly due to more blast energy being available for rock breakage but generally these increased values were small and stayed under the permitted limit for blast damage criteria unless measuring distance is too close.

Vestas Pinaria Region: Original Basaltic Achondrite Material Derived from Mixing Upper and Lower Crust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcfadden, L. A.; Combe, Jean-Philippe; Ammannito, Eleonora; Frigeri, Alessandro; Stephan, Katrin; Longobardo, Andrea; Palomba, Ernesto; Tosi, Federico; Zambon, Francesca; Krohn, Katrin;

Sr isotopic composition of Afar volcanics and its implication for mantle evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barberi, F.; Civetta, L.; Varet, J.

1980-10-01

Investigations of Rb-Sr systematics of basalts from the Afar depression (Ethiopia) indicate the presence of a heterogeneous mantle source region. The Sr isotopic compositions of the basalts from the Afar axial and transverse ranges identify source regions which are enriched in LIL elements and radiogenic Sr (axial ranges) and others which are relatively depleted (transverse ranges). Sr isotopic composition of basalts from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Tadjoura, which range from 0.70300 to 0.70340 are also reported and compared with the more radiogenic Afar region, which is characterized by 87Sr/ 86Sr ranging from 0.70328 to 0.70410. Available geochemical and isotopic data suggest that a relation exists between magma composition and the advancement of the rifting process through progressive lithosphere attenuation leading to continental break-up. However, the petrogenetic process is not simple and probably implies a vertically zoned mantle beneath the Afar region. Sr isotopic evidence suggests that the vertically zoned mantle is more radiogenic and enriched in LIL elements in its upper part.

Elastic moduli of rock glasses under pressure to 8 kilobars and geophysical implications.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meister, R.; Robertson, E.C.; Werke, R.W.; Raspet, R.

1980-01-01

Shear and longitudinal velocities were measured by the ultrasonic phase comparison method as a function of pressure to 8 kbar on synthetic glasses of basalt, andesite, rhyolite, and quartz composition and on natural obsidian. Velocities of most of the glasses decrease anomalously with pressure, but increasingly more-normal behavior occurs with decrease in SiO2 content. The pressure derivatives of rigidity and bulk modulus increase linearly, from -3.39 to -0.26 and from -5.91 to +2.09, respectively, with decrease in SiO2 content from 100 to 49%. The change from negative to positive in the pressure derivatives of both moduli and observed at Poisson's ratio of about 0.25 is consitent with the Smyth model for the anomalous elastic behavior of glass. If the temperature in the upper mantle is about 1500oC, tholeiitic basalt would be molten in accordance with the partial melt explanation for the low-velocity zone; at 1300oC and below, basalt would be in the glassy state, especially if more felsic than tholeiite. -Authors

Continents as lithological icebergs: The importance of buoyant lithospheric roots

USGS Publications Warehouse

Abbott, D.H.; Drury, R.; Mooney, W.D.

1997-01-01

An understanding of the formation of new continental crust provides an important guide to locating the oldest terrestrial rocks and minerals. We evaluated the crustal thicknesses of the thinnest stable continental crust and of an unsubductable oceanic plateau and used the resulting data to estimate the amount of mantle melting which produces permanent continental crust. The lithospheric mantle is sufficiently depleted to produce permanent buoyancy (i.e., the crust is unsubductable) at crustal thicknesses greater than 25-27 km. These unsubductable oceanic plateaus and hotspot island chains are important sources of new continental crust. The newest continental crust (e.g., the Ontong Java plateau) has a basaltic composition, not a granitic one. The observed structure and geochemistry of continents are the result of convergent margin magmatism and metamorphism which modify the nascent basaltic crust into a lowermost basaltic layer overlain by a more silicic upper crust. The definition of a continent should imply only that the lithosphere is unsubductable over ??? 0.25 Ga time periods. Therefore, the search for the oldest crustal rocks should include rocks from lower to mid-crustal levels.

Petrological processes in mantle plume heads: Evidence from study of mantle xenoliths in the late Cenozoic alkali Fe-Ti basalts in Western Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, Evgenii

2015-04-01

It is consensus now that within-plate magmatism is considered with ascending of mantle plumes and adiabatic melting of their head. At the same time composition of the plumes' matter and conditions of its adiabatic melting are unclear yet. The major source of objective information about it can be mantle xenoliths in alkali basalts and basanites which represent fragments of material of the plume heads above magma-generation zone. They are not represent material in melting zone, however, carry important information about material of modern mantle plumes, its phase composition and components, involved in melting. Populations of mantle xenoliths in basalts are characterized by surprising sameness in the world and represented by two major types: (1) dominated rocks of ``green'' series, and (2) more rare rocks of ``black'' series, which formed veins in the ``green'' series matrix. It can evidence about common composition of plume material in global scale. In other words, the both series of xenoliths represent two types of material of thermochemical mantle plumes, ascended from core-mantle boundary (Maruyama, 1994; Dobretsov et al., 2001). The same types of xenoliths are found in basalts and basanites of Western Syria (Sharkov et al., 1996). Rocks of ``green'' series are represented by Sp peridotites with cataclastic and protogranular structures and vary in composition from dominated spinel lherzolites to spinel harzburgites and rare spinel pyroxenites (websterites). It is probably evidence about incomplete homogenizing of the plume head matter, where material, underwent by partial melting, adjoins with more fertile material. Such heterogeneity was survived due to quick cooling of upper rim of the plume head in contact with relatively cold lithosphere. Essential role among xenoliths of the ``black'' series play Al-Ti-augite and water-bearing phases like hornblende (kaersutute) and Ti-phlogopite. Rocks of this series are represented by wehrlite, clinopyroxenite, amphibole clinopyroxenite, hornbledite, etc. as well as megacrysts of Al-Ti-augite, kaersutite, ilmenite, sanidine, etc. Numerous vesicles often occurred in megacrysts, especially in kaersurtite. Sp peridotites of the matrix are sharply different on their geochemical features from the ``black series'' rocks (in this case, megacrysts of kaersutite) which are the most close to composition of xenoliths-bearing alkali basalts. From this follows that geochemistry of plume-related basalts was determined by mantle fluids which occurred in magma-generation zone. Very likely, that these fluids, enriched in Fe, Ti, LREE, alkalis, and incompatible elements, initially were parts of intergranular material of original mantle plume material and were released due to its decompression. Because their high mobility, the fluids percolated upwards and accumulated in the upper part of the mantle plume head, where promoted its melting by lowering of solidus of the matter. Excess of the fluids gathered beneath the cooled upper rim and penetrated in its rocks which led to appearance of centers of secondary melting (melt-pockets). Very likely, that these secondary melts formed rocks of the ``black series'' (Ismail et al., 2008;Ryabchkov et al., 2011; Ma et al., 2014). According to geobarometric estimations, Sp peridotite xenoliths from Syria derived from depths 24-42 km (0.8-1.4 GPa) under temperatures 896-980oC; formation of melt-pockets, enriched in volatiles, occurred at the depths 21-27 km (0.7-0.9 GPa) under 826-981oC (Sharkov et al., 1996; Ismail et al., 2008; Ma et al., 2014). From this follows that plumeheads reached depths approximately 21-30 km which is in agree with practically absence of lower-crustal xenoliths in the populations. One of the problems of plume-related magmatism is coexisting of alkali and tholeiitic basalts, which origin often considered with different PT conditions. However, these basalt not rarely interlayered, especially at low and middle levels of LIPs or in single volcanoes (Hawaii, Etna, etc.) which is not in a good agreement with such idea. We suggest that the situation can be more likely explained by nonuniform impregnation of peridotite matrix with fluid components which composition and/or quantity can play essential role in composition of smeltings. It is especially important because even small differences in their ñomposition near to plane of SiO2 saturation in ``basalt tetrahedron'' (Yoder and Tilley, 1962) lead to appearance of Ne-normative or Ne-free melts at practically similar PT conditions. Thus, judging on composition of the mantle xenoliths in basalts of all occurrences in the world, quite possible that Sp peridotites (mainly lherzolites) together with intergranular geochemical-enriched fluid components represent the matter of the modern thermochemical mantle plumes. Origin of two major types of the plume-related magmas, probably, considered with fluid regime in the plume head.

Native iron in the Earth and space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pechersky, D. M.; Kuzina, D. M.; Markov, G. P.; Tsel'movich, V. A.

2017-09-01

Thermomagnetic and microprobe studies of native iron in the terrestrial upper-mantle hyperbasites (xenoliths in basalts), Siberian traps, and oceanic basalts are carried out. The results are compared to the previous data on native iron in sediments and meteorites. It is established that in terms of the composition and grain size and shape, the particles of native iron in the terrestrial rocks are close to each other and to the extraterrestrial iron particles from sediments and meteorites. This suggests that the sources of the origin of these particles were similar; i.e., the formation conditions in the Earth were close to the conditions in the meteorites' parent bodies. This similarity is likely to be due to the homogeneity of the gas and dust cloud at the early stage of the solar system. The predominance of pure native iron in the sediments can probably be accounted for by the fact that interstellar dust is mostly contributed by the upper-mantle material of the planets, whereas the lower-mantle and core material falls on the Earth mainly in the form of meteorites. A model describing the structure of the planets in the solar system from the standpoint of the distribution of native iron and FeNi alloys is proposed.

Reaching High Bookshelves From a Wheelchair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walch, A. J.

1982-01-01

"Book retriever" allows people confined to wheelchairs to remove or replace books from upper shelves of library stacks. Retriever is mechanical device composed of aluminum tube approximately 5 feet long with two jaws at upper end. Jaws securely clamp selected book; they are thin enough to be inserted between adjacent books.

REE chemistry and Sm-Nd systematics of late Archean weathering profiles in the Fortescue Group, Western Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacFarlane, A. W.; Danielson, A.; Holland, H. D.; Jacobsen, S. B.

1994-01-01

Two weathering profiles, each consisting of an upper, sericite-rich zone and a lower, chlorite-rich zone, are preserved between flows of the Mt. Roe Basalt in the Fortescue Group, Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. REE concentrations in samples from these two profiles, which originally developed ca 2,760 Ma, show large variations depending on stratigraphic position. LREE abundances and (La/Yb)N are greatest at depths of 3-6 m below the paleosurface of the Mt. Roe #1 profile and are somewhat lower in samples above this level. The LREEs reach concentrations 6-9 times greater than in the underlying basalt, and thus appear to have been mobilized downward in the paleosol and concentrated in its middle part. LREE concentrations in the #2 profile show a similar distribution but with a sharp increase in all REE concentrations within 50 cm of the paleosurface. The distinction between the REE profiles in the two paleosols may be related to the difference in the overlying material. The #1 paleosol is overlain by a few meters of sediments and then by basalt, whereas the #2 paleosol is directly overlain by basalt. The LREEs appear to have been mobilized both during chemical weathering of the parental basalt and during later lower-greenschist-facies metamorphism and metasomatism of the paleosols. Remobilization of the REEs during the regional metamorphism of the Fortescue Group is confirmed by a whole-rock Sm-Nd reference isochron of Mt. Roe #1 samples with an age of 2,151 +/- 360 Ma. Variable initial 143Nd/144Nd values of unweathered basalt samples which may represent the paleosol protolith prevents a confident determination of the magnitude of LREE mobility. Both the initial mobilization of the REEs during weathering and the metasomatic remobilization appear to have taken place under redox conditions where Ce was present dominantly as Ce3+, because Ce anomalies are not developed within the sericite zone samples regardless of concentration. Europium anomalies in the paleoweathering profile are somewhat variable and were probably modified by mobilization of Eu2+ at metamorphic conditions. In all samples, the HREEs appear to have been relatively immobile and correlate with Al, Ti, Cr, V, Zr, and Nb. Sm-Nd systematics and REE patterns of four unweathered basalt samples indicate derivation of the Mt. Roe Basalts from a heterogeneous and enriched source having epsilon Nd between -4.0 and -7.4. Initial 143Nd/144Nd values of these basalts are even lower than those reported by NELSON et al. (1992) for Fortescue Group basalts and indicate a substantial crustal component in the generation of Mt. Roe Basalts.

Activités volcaniques sous-marines à la limite Jurassique-Crétacé dans le Rif externe (Maroc). Âge et relation avec la sédimentation et la paléogéographie du sillon rifain externe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benzaggagh, Mohamed

2011-04-01

Following the recent stratigraphic works carried out on the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in the external Rif chain (Mesorif area and Bou Haddoud nappe), numerous submarine volcanism traces have been discovered in Upper Oxfordian to Upper Berriasian deposits. These traces display various aspects: volcaniclastic complexes incorporated within Upper Berriasian marls; volcanic lavas and basalt clasts included in the breccias with clay matrix of Upper Oxfordian to Lower Berriasian age, or in brecciated Lower Tothonian calcareous beds of the Early Tithonian. These submarine volcanic activities took place in a carbonate platform environment during the Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian interval or in a pelagic basin from Late Tithonian onwards. They caused an intense brecciation of Upper Jurassic carbonate formations and a general dismantling of marly calcareous alternations of Upper Tithonian-Lower Berriasian. Therefore, the Upper Tithonian-Lower Berriasian deposits are marked by frequent stratigraphic gaps in many outcrops of Mesorif, Prerif areas and in the Bou Haddoud nappe.

Hydrogeology, Chemical Characteristics, and Transport Processes in the Zone of Contribution of a Public-Supply Well in York, Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landon, Matthew K.; Clark, Brian R.; McMahon, Peter B.; McGuire, Virginia L.; Turco, Michael J.

2008-01-01

In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey, as part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, initiated a topical study of Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants (TANC) to PSW (public-supply wells). Local-scale and regional-scale TANC study areas were delineated within selected NAWQA study units for intensive study of processes effecting transport of contaminants to PSWs. This report describes results from a local-scale TANC study area at York, Nebraska, within the High Plains aquifer, including the hydrogeology and geochemistry of a 108-square-kilometer study area that contains the zone of contribution to a PSW selected for study (study PSW), and describes factors controlling the transport of selected anthropogenic and natural contaminants to PSWs. Within the local-scale TANC study area, the High Plains aquifer is approximately 75 m (meter) thick, and includes an unconfined aquifer, an upper confining unit, an upper confined aquifer, and a lower confining unit with lower confined sand lenses (units below the upper confining unit are referred to as confined aquifers) in unconsolidated alluvial and glacial deposits overlain by loess and underlain by Cretaceous shale. From northwest to southeast, land use in the local-scale TANC study area changes from predominantly irrigated agricultural land to residential and commercial land in the small community of York (population approximately 8,100). For the purposes of comparing water chemistry, wells were classified by degree of aquifer confinement (unconfined and confined), depth in the unconfined aquifer (shallow and deep), land use (urban and agricultural), and extent of mixing in wells in the confined aquifer with water from the unconfined aquifer (mixed and unmixed). Oxygen (delta 18O) and hydrogen (delta D) stable isotopic values indicated a clear isotopic contrast between shallow wells in the unconfined aquifer (hereinafter, unconfined shallow wells) and most monitoring wells in the confined aquifers (hereinafter, confined unmixed wells). Delta 18O and delta D values for a minority of wells in the confined aquifers were intermediate between those for the unconfined shallow wells and those for the confined unmixed wells. These intermediate values were consistent with mixing of water from unconfined and confined aquifers (hereinafter, confined mixed wells). Oxidation-reduction conditions were primarily oxic in the unconfined aquifer and variably reducing in the confined aquifers. Trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC), particularly tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), were widely detected in unconfined shallow urban wells and indicated the presence of young urban recharge waters in most confined mixed wells. The presence of degradation products of agricultural pesticides (acetochlor and alachlor) in some confined mixed wells suggests that some fraction of the water in these wells also was the result of recharge in agricultural areas. In the unconfined aquifer, age-tracer data (chlorofluorocarbon and sulfur hexafluoride data, and tritium to helium-3 ratios) fit a piston-flow model, with apparent recharge ages ranging from 7 to 48 years and generally increasing with depth. Age-tracer data for the confined aquifers were consistent with mixing of 'old' water, not containing modern tracers recharged in the last 60 years, and exponentially-mixed 'young' water with modern tracers. Confined unmixed wells contained less than (=) 97% of old water. Confined mixed wells contained >30% young water and mean ages ranged from 12 to 14 years. Median concentrations of nitrate (as nitrogen, hereinafter, nitrate-N) were 17.3 and 16.0 mg/L (milligram per liter) in unconfined shallow urban and agricultural wells, respectively, indicating a range of likely nitrate sources. Septic systems are most numerous near the edge of the urban area and appear to be

Tungsten-182 heterogeneity in modern ocean island basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mundl, Andrea; Touboul, Mathieu; Jackson, Matthew G.; Day, James M. D.; Kurz, Mark D.; Lekic, Vedran; Helz, Rosalind T.; Walker, Richard J.

2017-04-01

New tungsten isotope data for modern ocean island basalts (OIB) from Hawaii, Samoa, and Iceland reveal variable 182W/184W, ranging from that of the ambient upper mantle to ratios as much as 18 parts per million lower. The tungsten isotopic data negatively correlate with 3He/4He. These data indicate that each OIB system accesses domains within Earth that formed within the first 60 million years of solar system history. Combined isotopic and chemical characteristics projected for these ancient domains indicate that they contain metal and are repositories of noble gases. We suggest that the most likely source candidates are mega-ultralow-velocity zones, which lie beneath Hawaii, Samoa, and Iceland but not beneath hot spots whose OIB yield normal 182W and homogeneously low 3He/4He.

Bimodal tholeiitic-dacitic magmatism and the Early Precambrian crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Peterman, Z.E.

1974-01-01

Interlayered plagioclase-quartz gneisses and amphibolites from 2.7 to more than 3.6 b.y. old form much of the basement underlying Precambrian greenstone belts of the world; they are especially well-developed and preserved in the Transvaal and Rhodesian cratons. We postulate that these basement rocks are largely a metamorphosed, volcanic, bimodal suite of tholeiite and high-silica low-potash dacite-compositionally similar to the 1.8-b.y.-old Twilight Gneiss - and partly intrusive equivalents injected into the lower parts of such volcanic piles. We speculate that magmatism in the Early Precambrian involved higher heat flow and more hydrous conditions than in the Phanerozoic. Specifically, we suggest that the early degassing of the Earth produced a basaltic crust and pyrolitic upper mantle that contained much amphibole, serpentine, and other hydrous minerals. Dehydration of the lower parts of a downgoing slab of such hydrous crust and upper mantle would release sufficient water to prohibit formation of andesitic liquid in the upper part of the slab. Instead, a dacitic liquid and a residuum of amphibole and other silica-poor phases would form, according to Green and Ringwood's experimental results. Higher temperatures farther down the slab would cause total melting of basalt and generation of the tholeiitic member of the suite. This type of magma generation and volcanism persisted until the early hydrous lithosphere was consumed. An implication of this hypothesis is that about half the present volume of the oceans formed before about 2.6 b.y. ago. ?? 1974.

Dual origins for pantellerites, and other puzzles, at Mount Takahe volcano, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeMasurier, Wesley; Choi, Sung Hi; Kawachi, Yosuke; Mukasa, Sam; Rogers, Nick

2018-01-01

Mt. Takahe is a large, late Quaternary trachyte shield volcano that rises through 2000 + m of the West Antarctic ice sheet. It is composed mostly of ne-trachyte, hy-ol-trachyte, and qz-trachyte flows, with subordinate basanite, intermediate rocks, and pantellerites. All rock types can be adequately modeled by fractional crystallization of basanite - the only basaltic rock exposed here. The ne-trachytes can be explained by a single stage of low-pressure fractionation near the base of the upper crust. Models of oversaturated rocks require a period of evolution at a depth of 35 km, below the stability field of plagioclase, where fractionation of kaersutite and associated high pressure minerals will yield silica oversaturated residual magmas. This is then followed by a period of fractionation at a depth of 3 km, where peralkalinity and Fe-enrichment are acquired. Pantellerite compositions span virtually the entire spectrum of peralkalinity, Fe-enrichment, LILE-enrichment, and SiO2 values, and seem to represent a range of residence times in upper crustal vs., upper mantle magma chambers. Mt. Takahe is unusual among Marie Byrd Land volcanoes for its geochemical anomalies. These include the lowest 143Nd/144Nd ratios in West Antarctica, and unusually high but unpredictable Ba values. These anomalies are believed to originate in a pre-85 Ma subduction mélange at the base of the lithosphere, which seems to be the source of Mt. Takahe basaltic rocks.

Geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphy of the offshore Pelotas Basin, southeast Brazil

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

Abreu, V.S.

1996-01-01

The Brazilian marginal basins have been studied since the beginning of the 70s. At least nine large basins are distributed along the entire Eastern continental margin. The sedimentary infill of these basins consists of lower Cretaceous (continental/lacustrine) rift section underlying marine upper Cretaceous (carbonate platforms) and marine upper Cretaceous/Tertiary sections, corresponding to the drift phase. The sedimentary deposits are a direct result of the Jurassic to lower Cretaceous break-up of the Pangea. This study will focus on the geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Pelotas basin (offshore), located in the Southeast portion of the Brazilian continental margin betweenmore » 28[degrees] and 34[degrees] S, covering approximately 50,000 Km[sup 2]. During the early Cretaceous, when the break-up of the continent began in the south, thick basaltic layers were deposited in the Pelotas basin. These basalts form a thick and broad wedge of dipping seaward reflections interpreted as a transitional crust. During Albian to Turonian times, due to thermal subsidence, an extensive clastic/carbonate platform was developed, in an early drift stage. The sedimentation from the upper Cretaceous to Tertiary was characterized by a predominance of siliciclastics in the southeast margin, marking an accentuate deepening of the basin, showing several cycles related to eustatic fluctuations. Studies have addressed the problems of hydrocarbon exploration in deep water setting within a sequence stratigraphic framework. Thus Pelotas basin can provide a useful analogue for exploration efforts worldwide in offshore passive margins.« less

Geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphy of the offshore Pelotas Basin, southeast Brazil

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

Abreu, V.S.

1996-12-31

The Brazilian marginal basins have been studied since the beginning of the 70s. At least nine large basins are distributed along the entire Eastern continental margin. The sedimentary infill of these basins consists of lower Cretaceous (continental/lacustrine) rift section underlying marine upper Cretaceous (carbonate platforms) and marine upper Cretaceous/Tertiary sections, corresponding to the drift phase. The sedimentary deposits are a direct result of the Jurassic to lower Cretaceous break-up of the Pangea. This study will focus on the geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Pelotas basin (offshore), located in the Southeast portion of the Brazilian continental margin betweenmore » 28{degrees} and 34{degrees} S, covering approximately 50,000 Km{sup 2}. During the early Cretaceous, when the break-up of the continent began in the south, thick basaltic layers were deposited in the Pelotas basin. These basalts form a thick and broad wedge of dipping seaward reflections interpreted as a transitional crust. During Albian to Turonian times, due to thermal subsidence, an extensive clastic/carbonate platform was developed, in an early drift stage. The sedimentation from the upper Cretaceous to Tertiary was characterized by a predominance of siliciclastics in the southeast margin, marking an accentuate deepening of the basin, showing several cycles related to eustatic fluctuations. Studies have addressed the problems of hydrocarbon exploration in deep water setting within a sequence stratigraphic framework. Thus Pelotas basin can provide a useful analogue for exploration efforts worldwide in offshore passive margins.« less

Evidence for Moho-lower crustal transition depth diking and rifting of the Sierra Nevada microplate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Kenneth D.; Kent, Graham M.; Seggern, David P.; Driscoll, Neal W.; Eisses, Amy

2016-10-01

Lithospheric rifting most often initiates in continental extensional settings where "breaking of a plate" may or may not progress to sea floor spreading. Generally, the strength of the lithosphere is greater than the tectonic forces required for rupture (i.e., the "tectonic force paradox"), and it has been proposed that rifting requires basaltic magmatism (e.g., dike emplacement) to reduce the strength and cause failure, except for the case of a thin lithosphere (<30 km thick). Here we isolate two very similar and unprecedented observations of Moho-lower crustal transition dike or fluid injection earthquake swarms under southern Sierra Valley (SV: 2011-2012) and North Lake Tahoe (LT: 2003-2004), California. These planar distributions of seismicity can be interpreted to define the end points, and cover 25% of the length, of an implied 56 km long structure, each striking N45°W and dipping 50°NE. A single event at 30 km depth that locates on the implied dipping feature between the two swarms is further evidence for a single Moho-transition depth structure. We propose that basaltic or fluid emplacement at or near Moho depths weakens the upper mantle lid, facilitating lithospheric rupture of the Sierra Microplate. Similar to the LT sequence, the SV event is also associated with increased upper crustal seismicity. An 27 October 2011, Mw 4.7 earthquake occurred directly above the deep SV sequence at the base of the upper crustal seismogenic zone ( 15 km depth).

Geology and ground-water resources of the island of Molokai, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stearns, Harold T.; Macdonald, Gordon A.

1947-01-01

The island of Molokai is the fifth largest of the Hawaiian Islands, with an area of 250 square miles. It lies 25 miles southeast of Oahu, and 8.5 miles northwest of Maui. It consists of two principal parts, each a major volcanic mountain. East Molokai rises to 4,970 feet altitude. It is built largely of basaltic lavas, with a thin cap of andesites and a little trachyte. The volcanic rocks of East Molokai are named the East Molokai volcanic series, the basaltic part being separated as the lower member of the series, and the andesites and trachytes as the upper member. Large cinder cones and bulbous domes are associated with the lavas of the upper member. Thin beds of ash are present locally in both members. The lavas of the lower member are cut by innumerable dikes lying in two major rift zones trending eastward and northwestward. A large caldera, more than 4 miles long, and a smaller pit 0.8 mile across existed near the summit of the volcano. The rocks formed in and under the caldera are separated on plate 1 as the caldera complex. Stream erosion has cut large amphitheater-headed valleys into the northern coast of East Molokai, exposing the dikes and the caldera complex.West Molokai is lower than East Molokai, rising to 1,380 feet altitude. It was built by basaltic lavas erupted along rift zones trending southwestward and northwestward. Many of the flows were unusually fluid. The volcanic rocks of West Molokai Volcano are named the West Molokai volcanic series. Along its eastern side, the mountain is broken by a series of faults along which its eastern edge has been dropped downward. West Molokai Volcano became extinct earlier than East Molokai Volcano, and its flank is partly buried beneath lavas of East Molokai.Both volcanic mountains were built upward from the sea floor probably during Tertiary time. Following the close of volcanic activity stream erosion cut large canyons on East Molokai, but accomplished much less on drier West Molokai. Marine erosion attacked both parts of the island, producing high sea-cliffs on the windward coast. In late Tertiary or early Pleistocene time the island was submerged to a level at least 560 feet above the present shore line, then reemerged. Later shifts of sea level, probably partly resulting from Pleistocene glaciation and deglaciation, ranged from 300 feet below to 100 feet or more above present sea level. Marine deposits on the southern slope extend to an altitude of at least 200 feet. Eruption of the Kalaupapa basalt built a small lava cone at the foot of the northern cliff, forming Kalaupapa peninsula; and a small submarine eruption off the eastern end of Molokai built the Mokuhooniki tuff cone, the fragments of which now form Hooniki and Kanaha Islands. Deposition of marine and fluviatile sediments has built a series of narrow flats close to sea-level along the southern coast. Nearly the entire island is underlain, close to sea level, by ground water of the basal zone of saturation. Beneath West Molokai, the Hoolehua Plain between West and East Molokai, and the southern coastal area of East Molokai, the basal water is brackish. Beneath much of East Molokai, fresh basal water is obtainable. Small amounts of fresh water are perched at high levels in East Molokai by thin poorly permeable ash beds. Fresh water is confined at high levels in permeable compartments between poorly permeable dikes in the rift zones of East Molokai, and can be developed by tunnels. Projects to bring the abundant surface and ground water of the large wind ward valleys to the Hoolehua Plain are described. Future developments are suggested. All wells and water-development tunnels are described in tables.

Implications of elastic wave velocities for Apollo 17 rock powders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talwani, P.; Nur, A.; Kovach, R. L.

1974-01-01

Ultrasonic P- and S-wave velocities of lunar rock powders 172701, 172161, 170051, and 175081 were measured at room temperature and to 2.5 kb confining pressure. The results compare well with those of terrestrial volcanic ash and powdered basalt. P-wave velocity values up to pressures corresponding to a lunar depth of 1.4 km preclude cold compaction alone as an explanation for the observed seismic velocity structure at the Apollo 17 site. Application of small amounts of heat with simultaneous application of pressure causes rock powders to achieve equivalence of seismic velocities for competent rocks.

Effect of nanostructured surface configuration on evaporation and condensation characteristics of thin film liquid argon in a nano-scale confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuri, Subrata Kumar; Rakibuzzaman, S. M.; Sabah, Arefiny; Ahmed, Jannat; Hasan, Mohammad Nasim

2017-12-01

Molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out to go through the evaporation and condensation characteristics of thin liquid argon film in nanoscale confinement having nanostructured boundary. Nanoscale confinement under consideration consists of hot and cold parallel platinum plates at the bottom and top end of a model cuboid inside which the fluid domain comprised of liquid argon film at the bottom plate and vapor argon in between liquid argon and upper plate of the confinement. Three different confinement configurations have been considered here: (i) Both platinum plates are flat, (ii) Upper plate consisting of transverse slots and (iii) Both plates consisting of transverse slots. The height of the slots is 1.5 nm. Considering hydrophilic nature of top and bottom plates, two different high temperatures of the hot wall was set and an observation was made. For all the structures, equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) was performed to reach equilibrium state at 90 K. Then the lower wall is set to two different temperatures like 110 K and 250 K for all three models to perform non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). Various system characteristics such as atomic distribution, wall heat flux, evaporative mass flux etc. have been obtained and discussed to have a clear understanding of the effect of nanotextured surface on phase change phenomena.

Popping Rocks Revealed: Investigations from 14°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanless, V. D.; Jones, M.; Kurz, M. D.; Soule, S. A.; Fornari, D. J.; Bendana, S.; Mittelstaedt, E. L.

2017-12-01

The popping rock, recovered in dredge 2πD43 in 1985, is commonly considered to be one of the most representative samples of undegassed upper mantle, based on high volatile and noble gas abundances. While this basalt is used to reconstruct mantle volatile contents and CO2 fluxes from mid-ocean ridges (MOR), the origin of the popping rock has remained ambiguous due to a lack of geologic context. Here, we present results from the first combined geochemical, geophysical, and geologic investigation of popping rocks from 14N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. By combining lava compositions with high-resolution bathymetric maps, we show that the popping rocks are confined to a single geographic area, at the transition between magmatic and tectonic segments. Fifteen popping rocks were collected in situ using the Alvin submersible in 2016. X-ray microtomography indicates that these lavas have variable vesicle abundances; including the highest vesicularities (>19%) recorded for any MOR basalt. Dissolved CO2 contents (163-175 ppm) are similar to proximal non-popping rocks and are in equilibrium at their eruption depths (>3600 m); however, total CO2 contents (based on vesicularity, dissolved CO2, and vesicle gas contents) are higher than non-popping rocks, ranging from 2800-14150 ppm. The popping rocks have average 3He/4He ratios of 8.17 ± 0.1 Ra and 4He concentrations of 1.84e-5 to 7.67e-5 cc/g STP. Compared to non-popping lavas, the popping rocks have a narrow range of major and trace element concentrations, suggesting little to no crystallization occurred during ascent or eruption. REE patterns and trace element ratios are indistinguishable in the popping rocks (La/Sm = 2.89 ± 0.05), indicating similar mantle sources and extents of melting. Based on lava compositions and spatial distribution, we suggest that the popping rocks at 14N were produced under similar magmatic conditions and erupted over short timescales, perhaps during a series of closely timed eruptions.

Boninite and boninite-series volcanics in northern Zambales ophiolite: doubly vergent subduction initiation along Philippine Sea plate margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Americus; Umino, Susumu; Yumul, Graciano P., Jr.; Ishizuka, Osamu

2018-06-01

A key component of subduction initiation rock suites is boninite, a high-magnesium andesite that is uniquely predominant in western Pacific forearc terranes and in select Tethyan ophiolites such as Oman and Troodos. We report, for the first time, the discovery of low-calcium, high-silica boninite in the middle Eocene Zambales ophiolite (Luzon Island, Philippines). Olivine-orthopyroxene microphyric high-silica boninite, olivine-clinopyroxene-phyric low-silica boninite and boninitic basalt occur as lapilli fall deposits and pillow lava flows in the upper volcanic unit of the juvenile arc section (Barlo locality, Acoje Block) of the Zambales ophiolite. This upper volcanic unit overlies a lower volcanic unit consisting of basaltic andesite, andesite to dacitic lavas and explosive eruptive material (subaqueous pahoehoe and lobate sheet flows, agglutinate and spatter deposits) forming a low-silica boninite series. The overall volcanic stratigraphy of the extrusive sequence at Barlo resembles holes U1439 and U1442 drilled by IODP Expedition 352 in the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) trench slope. The presence of depleted proto-arc basalts in the Coto Block (45 Ma) (Geary et al., 1989), boninite and boninite series volcanics in Barlo (Acoje Block (44 Ma)) and simultaneous and post-boninite moderate-Fe arc tholeiites in Sual and Subic areas of the Acoje Block (44-43 Ma) indicate that the observed subduction initiation stratigraphy in the Izu-Ogasawara-Mariana forearc is also present in the Zambales ophiolite. Paleolatitudes derived from tilt-corrected sites in the Acoje Block place the juvenile arc of northern Zambales ophiolite in the western margin of the Philippine Sea plate. In this scenario, the origin of Philippine Sea plate boninites (IBM and Zambales) would be in a doubly vergent subduction initiation setting.

Constraining the Composition of the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the East African Rift: FTIR Analysis of Water in Spinel Peridotite Mantle Xenoliths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, Stephanie Gwen; Nelson, Wendy R.; Peslier, Anne H.; Snow, Jonathan E.

2014-01-01

The East African Rift System was initiated by the impingement of the Afar mantle plume on the base of the non-cratonic continental lithosphere (assembled during the Pan-African Orogeny), producing over 300,000 kmof continental flood basalts approx.30 Ma ago. The contribution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) to this voluminous period of volcanism is implied based on basaltic geochemical and isotopic data. However, the role of percolating melts on the SCLM composition is less clear. Metasomatism is capable of hybridizing or overprinting the geochemical signature of the SCLM. In addition, models suggest that adding fluids to lithospheric mantle affects its stability. We investigated the nature of the SCLM using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) to measure water content in mantle xenoliths entrained in young (1 Ma) basaltic lavas from the Ethiopian volcanic province. The mantle xenoliths consist dominantly of spinel lherzolites and are composed of nominally anhydrous minerals, which can contain trace water as H in mineral defects. Eleven mantle xenoliths come from the Injibara-Gojam region and two from the Mega-Sidamo region. Water abundances of olivines in six samples are 1-5ppm H2O while the rest are below the limit of detection (<0.5 ppm H2O); orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene contain 80-238 and 111-340 ppm wt H2O, respectively. Two xenoliths have higher water contents - a websterite (470 ppm) and dunite (229 ppm), consistent with involvement of ascending melts. The low water content of the upper SCLM beneath Ethiopia is as dry as the oceanic mantle except for small domains represented by percolating melts. Consequently, rifting of the East African lithosphere may not have been facilitated by a hydrated upper mantle.

Upper Carboniferous retroarc volcanism with submarine and subaerial facies at the western Gondwana margin of Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koukharsky, M.; Kleiman, L.; Etcheverría, M.; Quenardelle, S.; Bercowski, F.

2009-04-01

During Late Carboniferous times a continental magmatic arc developed at the western margin of Gondwana in South America, as several marine sedimentary basins were formed at the same time in the retroarc region. North of 33°S, at Cordón Agua del Jagüel, Precordillera of Mendoza, Argentina, a volcanic sequence crops out which was emplaced in a submarine environment with some subaerial exposures, and it is intercalated in marine sediments of Agua del Jagüel Formation, which fills of one of these retroarc basins. This paper presents, for the first time, a facies analyses together with geochemical and isotopic data of this volcanic suite, suggesting its deposition in an ensialic retroarc marine basin. The volcanic succession comprises debris flows with either sedimentary or volcanic fragments, base surge, resedimented massive and laminated dacitic-andesitic hyaloclastite, pillow lava, basic hyaloclastite and dacitic-andesitic lavas and hyaloclastite facies. Its composition is bimodal, either basaltic or dacitic-andesitic. The geochemistry data indicate a subalkaline, low K calk-alkaline and metaluminous affinity. The geochemistry of the basalts points to an origin of the magmas from a depleted mantle source with some crustal contamination. Conversely, the geochemistry of the dacites-andesites shows an important participation of both crustal components and subduction related fluids. A different magmatic source for the basalts than for the dacites-andesites is also supported by Sr and Nd isotopic initial ratios and Nd model ages. The characteristics of this magmatic suite suggest its emplacement in an extensional setting probably associated with the presence of a steepened subduction zone at this latitude during Upper Carboniferous times.

Improved Seismic Images of the Pacific Northwest Interior, With a Focus on the Region of the Columbia River Flood Basalts and Central Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanciu, A. C.; Humphreys, E.; Clayton, R. W.

2017-12-01

We construct a P-wave model of the upper mantle based on new and previously acquired data from the USArray-TA stations and regional deployments, including the HLP, ID-OR, and the currently recording Wallowa stations. Our teleseismic arrival times are corrected for crustal structure (based on surface wave, receiver function, and controlled-source models from the region). Our modeling incorporates 3-D ray tracing and several simple considerations of radial anisotropy on travel time. As imaged previously, we find high P-wave velocity anomalies located beneath the Wallowa Mountains and beneath the Idaho Batholith in central west Idaho. Our improved imaging finds that these two anomalies are located down to 350 km depth, and are clearly separated from one another and from a shallower fast anomaly in the uppermost mantle beneath the westernmost Snake River Plain. Our preferred interpretation includes a combination of delamination and slab fragments in this region. As fast (and presumably cool) structures, these upper-mantle anomalies are thought to have a lithospheric origin. The anomaly beneath central Idaho is interpreted as the leading edge of the Farallon slab associated with the accretion of Siletzia terrane to North America. This anomaly may include some North American lithosphere that delaminated from the Laramide-thickened lithospheric mantle, perhaps related to Challis magmatism. The Wallowa anomaly is likely to represent Farallon lithosphere that delaminated during the Columbia River flood basalt event. The small anomaly between the two deeper fast anomalies, occurring at depths above 150km, could represent an isolated lithospheric fragment or a structure created by the Columbia River flood basalt event.

Sedimentology and taphonomy of the upper Karoo-equivalent Mpandi Formation in the Tuli Basin of Zimbabwe, with a new 40Ar/ 39Ar age for the Tuli basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Raymond R.; Rogers, Kristina Curry; Munyikwa, Darlington; Terry, Rebecca C.; Singer, Bradley S.

2004-10-01

Karoo-equivalent rocks in the Tuli Basin of Zimbabwe are described, with a focus on the dinosaur-bearing Mpandi Formation, which correlates with the Elliot Formation (Late Triassic-Early Jurassic) in the main Karoo Basin. Isolated exposures of the Mpandi Formation along the banks of the Limpopo River consist of red silty claystones and siltstones that preserve root traces, small carbonate nodules, and hematite-coated prosauropod bones. These fine-grained facies accumulated on an ancient semi-arid floodplain. Widespread exposures of quartz-rich sandstone and siltstone representing the upper Mpandi Formation crop out on Sentinel Ranch. These strata preserve carbonate concretions and silicified root casts, and exhibit cross-bedding indicative of deposition via traction currents, presumably in stream channels. Prosauropod fossils are also preserved in the Sentinel Ranch exposures, with one particularly noteworthy site characterized by a nearly complete and articulated Massospondylus individual. An unconformity caps the Mpandi Formation in the study area, and this stratigraphically significant surface rests on a laterally-continuous zone of pervasive silicification interpreted as a silcrete. Morphologic, petrographic, and geochemical data indicate that the Mpandi silcrete formed by intensive leaching near the ground surface during prolonged hiatus. Chert clasts eroded from the silcrete are intercalated at the base of the overlying Samkoto Formation (equivalent to the Clarens Formation in the main Karoo Basin), which in turn is overlain by the Tuli basalts. These basalts, which are part of the Karoo Igneous Province, yield a new 40Ar/ 39Ar plateau age of 186.3 ± 1.2 Ma.

Geologic framework, regional aquifer properties (1940s-2009), and spring, creek, and seep properties (2009-10) of the upper San Mateo Creek Basin near Mount Taylor, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langman, Jeff B.; Sprague, Jesse E.; Durall, Roger A.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, examined the geologic framework, regional aquifer properties, and spring, creek, and seep properties of the upper San Mateo Creek Basin near Mount Taylor, which contains areas proposed for exploratory drilling and possible uranium mining on U.S. Forest Service land. The geologic structure of the region was formed from uplift of the Zuni Mountains during the Laramide Orogeny and the Neogene volcanism associated with the Mount Taylor Volcanic Field. Within this structural context, numerous aquifers are present in various Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary formations and the Quaternary alluvium. The distribution of the aquifers is spatially variable because of the dip of the formations and erosion that produced the current landscape configuration where older formations have been exhumed closer to the Zuni Mountains. Many of the alluvial deposits and formations that contain groundwater likely are hydraulically connected because of the solid-matrix properties, such as substantive porosity, but shale layers such as those found in the Mancos Formation and Chinle Group likely restrict vertical flow. Existing water-level data indicate topologically downgradient flow in the Quaternary alluvium and indiscernible general flow patterns in the lower aquifers. According to previously published material and the geologic structure of the aquifers, the flow direction in the lower aquifers likely is in the opposite direction compared to the alluvium aquifer. Groundwater within the Chinle Group is known to be confined, which may allow upward migration of water into the Morrison Formation; however, confining layers within the Chinle Group likely retard upward leakage. Groundwater was sodium-bicarbonate/sulfate dominant or mixed cation-mixed anion with some calcium/bicarbonate water in the study area. The presence of the reduction/oxidation-sensitive elements iron and manganese in groundwater indicates reducing conditions at some time or in some location(s) in most aquifers. Frequent detections of zinc in the alluvium aquifer may represent anthropogenic influences such as mining. Along the mesas in the upper San Mateo Creek Basin, springs that form various creeks, including El Rito and San Mateo Creeks, discharge from the basalt-cap layer and the upper Cretaceous sedimentary layers. Streamflow in El Rito and San Mateo Creeks flows down steep gradients near the mesas sustained by groundwater discharges, and this streamflow transitions to shallow groundwater contained within the valley alluvium through infiltration where the subsequent groundwater is restricted from downward migration by the shaly Menefee Formation. This shallow groundwater reemerges at seeps where the land surface has been eroded below the groundwater level. Spring- and creek-water samples contained small amounts of dissolved solutes, and seep water contained substantially larger amounts of dissolved solutes. The pH of water within the creeks was neutral to alkaline, and all locations exhibited well-oxygenated conditions, although typically at substantially less than saturated levels. Changes in the stable-isotope ratios of water between spring and summer samples indicate differences in source-water inputs that likely pertain to seasonal recharge sources. Results of the water-isotope analysis and geochemical modeling indicate little evaporation and chemical weathering at the spring and creek sites but stronger evaporation and chemical weathering by the time the water reaches the seep locations in the center of the upper San Mateo Creek Basin.

Sedimentation in a Submarine Seamount Apron at Site U1431, International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349, South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadd, K. A.; Clift, P. D.; Hyun, S.; Jiang, T.; Liu, Z.

2014-12-01

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 Site U1431 is located near the relict spreading ridge in the East Subbasin of the South China Sea. Holes at this site were drilled close to seamounts and intersected the volcaniclastic apron. Volcaniclastic breccia and sandstone at Site U1431 are dated as late middle Miocene to early late Miocene (~8-13 Ma), suggesting a 5 m.y. duration of seamount volcanism. The apron is approximately 200 m thick and is sandwiched between non-volcaniclastic units that represent the background sedimentation. These comprise dark greenish gray clay, silt, and nannofossil ooze interpreted as turbidite and hemipelagic deposits that accumulated at abyssal water depths. At its base, the seamount sequence begins with dark greenish gray sandstone, siltstone, and claystone in upward fining sequences interpreted as turbidites intercalated with minor intervals of volcaniclastic breccia. Upsection the number and thickness of breccia layers increases with some beds up to 4.8 m and possibly 14.5 m thick. The breccia is typically massive, ungraded, and poorly sorted with angular to subangular basaltic clasts, as well as minor reworked subrounded calcareous mudstone, mudstone, and sandstone clasts. Basaltic clasts include nonvesicular aphyric basalt, sparsely vesicular aphyric basalt, highly vesicular aphyric basalt, and nonvesicular glassy basalt. Mudstone clasts are clay rich and contain foraminifer fossils. The matrix comprises up to 40% of the breccia beds and is a mix of clay, finer grained altered basalt clasts, and mafic vitroclasts with rare foraminifer fossils. Some layers have calcite cement between clasts. Volcaniclastic sandstone and claystone cycles interbedded with the breccia layers have current ripples and parallel laminations indicative of high-energy flow conditions during sedimentation. The breccia beds were most likely deposited as a series of debris flows or grain flows. This interpretation is supported by their massive structure, poor sorting, and reverse-graded bases. The upper part of the apron grades back into the background clay, silt and nannofossil ooze sedimentation with minor volcaniclastic sand and silt.

Geochemical and isotopic study of impact melts and spherules from the Lonar impact crater, India, indicate melting of the Precambrian basement beneath the 'target' Deccan basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarti, R.; Goderis, S.; Banerjee, A.; Gupta, R. D.; Claeys, P.; Vanhaecke, F. F.

2016-12-01

The 1.88 km diameter Lonar impact Crater, with age estimates ranging from 52 -570 ka, is located in the Buldana district of Maharashtra, India. It is an almost circular depression hosted entirely in the 65Ma old basalt flows of the Deccan Traps and is the best-known terrestrial analogue for impact craters in the Inner Solar System. Isotopic studies indicate that the basalts around Lonar correlate with the Poladpur suite, one of the mid-section volcano-stratigraphic units of the Deccan traps. Recently collected samples of the host basalt and impact melts, were analyzed for major and trace element concentrations using ICPMS, as well as for Nd and Sr isotope ratios using TIMS. Relatively more radiogenic Sr and less radiogenic Nd isotopic composition of the melt rocks compared to earlier measurements of similar rocks from Lonar are consistent with melting of the Precambrian basement beneath the Deccan basalt. Spherules ranging in size from 100 mm to 1 mm, were hand-picked under a binocular microscope from unconsolidated soil samples, collected from the south-eastern rim of the crater. Thirty-five spherule samples, screened for surface alteration using SEM were analyzed for major and trace element concentrations including PGEs using LA-ICPMS. The spherules were further classified into two groups using the Chemical Index of Alteration(CIA). Iridium and Cr concentrations of the spherules are consistent with mixing of a chondritic impactor (with 2-8% contribution) with the target rock(s). On a Nb (fluid immobile) -normalized binary plot of Th versus Cr, the composition of the spherules can be explained by mixing between the host basalt and a chondritic impactor with a definite, but minor contribution of the basement beneath Lonar, the composition of which is approximated using the average composition of the upper continental crust (UCC). Variability in the light-REE fractionation of the spherules (La/Sm(N)) can also be explained by a similar three component mixing. Overall, our geochemical data for both the melt rocks and spherules suggest mixing between the chondritic impactor, the Deccan host basalt and the basement rocks at Lonar.

What is the iron isotope composition of the Moon?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poitrasson, F.; Zambardi, T.; Magna, T.; Neal, C. R.

2016-12-01

It is difficult to estimate the bulk chemical and isotopic composition of the Moon because of severe limitations in our sampling. As a result, there is currently a debate on the bulk Fe isotope composition of the Moon despite the constraints on the lunar accretion modes or differentiation processes it may provide. For this, a proper mass balance estimation of essential planetary reservoirs is required. For instance, the dichotomy in δ57Fe between low- and high-Ti mare basalt varieties as a consequence of differences in degree of fractional crystallization of their respective lunar mantle sources should be rigorously tested. To investigate this, we performed new iron isotope measurements of 33 bulk lunar mare basalts and highland rocks, including KREEP-related materials. The new data show significant Fe isotope differences between high-Ti and low-Ti mare basalts, yielding mean δ57FeIRMM-014=0.277±0.020‰ and δ57FeIRMM-014=0.127±0.020‰, respectively. Assuming that lunar basalts mirror the iron isotope composition of their respective mantle protoliths, the estimated relative proportion of the low-Ti and high-Ti mantle source suggests that the lunar upper mantle should be close to δ57Fe=0.14±0.03‰. At present, it is unclear whether the bulk lunar Fe isotope composition is indistinguishable from that of the Earth (δ57FeIRMM-014=0.10±0.03‰), when estimated solely from mare basalts data, or if it is twice as heavy relative to chondrites, as initially proposed. A large scatter at δ57Fe=0.08±0.19‰ for ferroan anorthosites, Mg-suite rocks and a KREEP basalt imparts more complexities for global isotopic view of the Moon. A better understanding of the cause of Fe isotope heterogeneity among the lunar highland rocks will likely allow to better estimate the bulk Moon composition, and possibly to improve our knowledge about the genesis of the lunar crust itself.

Giant Plagioclase "Mosaicrysts" and Other Textures in the Steens Basalt, Columbia River Flood Basalt Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grunder, A.; Moore, N. E.; Bohrson, W. A.

2015-12-01

The Steens Basalts (~16.7 Ma), the oldest and most mafic stage of Columbia River flood basalt volcanism, are known for lavas with conspicuous giant plagioclase laths (2 - 5 cm in diameter). Such flows are intercalated with ones that are nearly aphyric or that bear plagioclase (plag) phenocrysts of 0.5-2 cm. Addition textures are distinctive radial, snowflake plag clusters and sandwich glomerocrysts of plag, with olivine trapped between laths. These clusters and glomerocrysts are typically 1, but as large as 3 cm in diameter. Plag composition of all textural types is limited (An76-60). Plag dominates the phenocryst mode; rare flows, mainly low in the section, have olivine > plag and phenocrystic clinopyroxene occurs rarely, and mainly high in the section. Unlike the flows, dikes have few phenocrysts; giant laths are rare and the snowflake texture has not been observed. Giant plag laths are euhedral and make up a few percent to more than 50% of the rock. Many plag megacrysts are made of several plag crystals that form a mosaic, where the constituent crystals are crystallographically distinct and are overgrown with feldspar to make the crystal euhedral. We describe these composite megacrysts as "mosaicrysts". We are exploring magmatic conditions that would trigger oversaturation to spawn rapid growth yielding clusters and overgrowths that form mosaicrysts. Giant plagioclase basalts (so-called GPB) are also described for the Deccan and Emeishan flood basalt provinces attesting to similar magmatic processes. Plag laths typically define strong flow foliation at the flow base, have a swirled distribution in the flow core, and are sparse in the top. Some particularly crystal-rich flows (or sills) have an abrupt transition to a crystal-poor upper few decimeters of the several-m- thick flow. We interpret the crystal-poor top to be the expelled melt from crystal accumulation in the flow, which locally reinjects and is entrained in lower crystal mush.

Investigating the Mantle Source of the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Nevada: Evidence of a Thermal Plume?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J. W.; Roden, M.

2016-12-01

The Easy Chair Crater (ECC), located within the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (LCVF) in central Nevada is particularly interesting because of the unusually high equilibrium temperatures and strain recorded by the mantle-derived xenoliths at LCVF1. In addition, a gravity and elevation anomaly suggests the possibility of an underlying thermal plume in the region2. In order to determine if the rocks at ECC are geochemically similar to rocks from other plume-related regions, we analyzed melt inclusions and olivine phenocrysts collected from basalts near the crater. Chlorine amounts in melt inclusions were normalized to the highly incompatible K to produce a ratio that is insensitive to crystallization within or along the walls of the inclusion3. Because Cl is implicated in lithosphere recycling, the Cl/K ratio can be used to differentiate magmatic source components. Initial results (Fig. 1) indicate that basalts from ECC are geochemically more similar to ocean island basalts than to MORB or arc basalts. Elemental ratios in olivine phenocrysts from basaltic magmas can be used to determine the petrology of the source rock for particular silicate melts. In turn, petrology of mantle sources is thought to correlate with source nature (e.g., plume versus upper mantle)4. Specifically, Ni and Mn amounts were evaluated in order to determine if magma sources were pyroxenite-rich. Preliminary calculations of the wt. fraction of pyroxenite in the source of ECC basalts ranged from 0.13 to 0.68 indicating the possibility of a significant amount of pyroxenite in the magmatic source which would be expected if a plume was present beneath LCVF. References:1Smith, D. (2000) JGR 105: 16769; 2Saltus, R.W. & Thompson, G.A. (1995) Tectonics 14:1235; 3Patiño Douce, A.E. & Roden, M.F. (2006) Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70: 3173; 4Gurenko et al. (2010) Contrib Mineral Petrol 159: 689

Intra-continental subduction and contemporaneous lateral extrusion of the upper plate: insights into Alps-Adria interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, Inge; Willingshofer, Ernst; Sokoutis, Dimitrios; Cloetingh, Sierd

2017-04-01

A series of physical analogue experiments were performed to simulate intra-continental subduction contemporaneous with lateral extrusion of the upper plate to study the interferences between these two processes at crustal levels and in the lithospheric mantle. The lithospheric-scale models are specifically designed to represent the collision of the Adriatic microplate with the Eastern Alps, simulated by an intra-continental weak zone to initiate subduction and a weak confined margin perpendicular to the direction of convergence in order to allow for extrusion of the lithosphere. The weak confined margin is the analog for the opening of the Pannonian back-arc basin adjacent to the Eastern Alps with the direction of extension perpendicular to the strike of the orogen. The models show that intra-continental subduction and coeval lateral extrusion of the upper plate are compatible processes. The obtained deformation structures within the extruding region are similar compared to the classical setup where lateral extrusion is provoked by lithosphere-scale indentation. In the models a strong coupling across the subduction boundary allows for the transfer of abundant stresses to the upper plate, leading to laterally varying strain regimes that are characterized by crustal thickening near a confined margin and dominated by lateral displacement of material near a weak lateral confinement. During ongoing convergence the strain regimes propagate laterally, thereby creating an area of overlap characterized by transpression. In models with oblique subduction, with respect to the convergence direction, less deformation of the upper plate is observed and as a consequence the amount of lateral extrusion decreases. Additionally, strain is partitioned along the oblique plate boundary leading to less subduction in expense of right lateral displacement close to the weak lateral confinement. Both oblique and orthogonal subduction models have a strong resemblance to lateral extrusion tectonics of the Eastern Alps, where subduction of the adjacent Adriatic plate beneath the Eastern Alps is debated. Our results highlight that both indentation and subduction of Adria are valid collisional mechanisms to provoke lateral extrusion-type deformation within the Eastern Alps lithosphere, i.e. the upper plate. Moreover, the insights suggest that the Oligocene to Late Miocene structural evolution of the Eastern Alps is best described by phases of oblique and subsequent orthogonal subduction which is in line with Miocene rotations of the Adriatic plate. Furthermore, oblique subduction of the Adriatic plate provides a viable mechanism to explain the rapid decrease in slab length beneath the Eastern Alps towards the Pannonian Basin, also implying that the Adriatic slab can behave and form independently with regards to the adjacent subduction of Adria beneath the Dinarides.

Physical properties of fore-arc basalt and boninite in Izu-Bonin-Mariana forearc recovered by IODP Expedition 352

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, M.; Michibayashi, K.; Almeev, R. R.; Christeson, G. L.; Sakuyama, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Watanabe, T.

2016-12-01

The Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) arc is a typical intraoceanic arc system and is the type locality for subduction initiation. IODP-IBM project is aimed to understand subduction initiation, arc evolution, and continental crust formation. Expedition 352 is one of the IBM projects and that has drilled four sites at the IBM fore-arc. Expedition 352 has successfully recovered fore-arc basalts and boninites related to seafloor spreading during the subduction initiation as well as the earliest arc development. The fore-arc basalts were recovered from two sites (U1440 and U1441) at the deeper trench slope to the east, whereas the boninites were recovered from two sites (U1439 and U1442) at the shallower slope to the west. In this study, we studied textures and physical properties of both the fore-arc basalt and the boninite samples recovered by IODP Expedition 352. The fore-arc basalt samples showed aphyric texture, whereas the boninites showed hyaloclastic, aphyric and porphyritic textures. For the physical properties, we measured density, porosity, P-wave velocity and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. P-wave velocities were measured under ordinary and confining pressure. As a result, the densities are in a range between 2 g/cm3 and 3 g/cm3. The porosities are in a range between 5 % and 40 %. The P-wave velocities are in a wide range from 3 km/s to 5.5 km/s and have a positive correlation to the densities. The magnetic susceptibilities showed bimodal distributions so that the physical properties were classified into two groups: a high magnetic susceptibility group (>5×10-3) and a low magnetic susceptibility group (<5×10-3). The high magnetic susceptibility group is almost identical with the fore-arc basalt and boninite samples with the higher correlation trend between the P-wave velocities and the densities, whereas the low magnetic susceptibility group is only the boninite samples with the lower correlation trend between the P-wave velocities and the densities. It suggests that the densities could be related to the occurrence of magnetite in the samples, since the magnetic susceptibilities were remarkably correlated with the relationships between P-wave velocities and densities. In addition, these trends have also been found in the physical properties measured on board during Expedition 351.

Crustal Accretion at Subduction Initiation Along Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc and the Link to SSZ Ophiolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, O.; Tani, K.; Reagan, M. K.; Kanayama, K.; Umino, S.; Harigane, Y.; Sakamoto, I.

2014-12-01

The Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) forearc preserves the earliest arc magmatic history from subduction initiation to the establishment of the arc. Recent investigations have established a bottom to top igneous stratigraphy of: 1) mantle peridotite, 2) gabbroic rocks, 3) a sheeted dyke complex, 4) basaltic pillow lavas (forearc basalts: FAB), 5) boninites and magnesian andesites, 6) tholeiites and calcalkaline arc lavas. This stratigraphy has many similarities to supra-subduction zone (SSZ) ophiolites. One of the most important common characteristics between the SSZ ophiolites and the forearc crust is the occurrence of MORB-like basaltic lavas underlying or accompanying boninites and early arc volcanic suites. A key observation from the IBM forearc is that FAB differs from nearby back-arc lavas in chemical characteristics, including a depletion in moderately incompatible elements. This indicates that FAB is not a pre-existing oceanic basement of the arc, but the first magmatic product after subduction initiation. Sheeted dikes of FAB composition imply that this magmatism was associated with seafloor spreading, possibly triggered by onset of slab sinking. Recognition of lavas with transitional geochemical characteristics between the FAB and the boninites strongly implies genetic linkage between these two magma types. The close similarity of the igneous stratigraphy of SSZ ophiolites to the IBM forearc section strongly implies a common magmatic evolutionary path, i.e., decompressional melting of a depleted MORB-type mantle is followed by melting of an even more depleted mantle with the addition of slab-derived fluid/melt to produce boninite magma. Similarity of magmatic process between IBM forearc and Tethyan ophiolites appears to be reflected on common characteristics of upper mantle section. Peridotite from both sections show more depleted characteristics compared to upper mantle rocks from mid-ocean ridges. Age determinations reveal that first magmatism at the IBM arc occurred at c. 52 Ma, and transition from forearc basalt to normal arc magmatism took 7-8 million years. Combined with the age information from SSZ-ophiolites, significant constraints on time scale of subduction initiation and associated crustal accretion might be obtained.

The fluid dynamics of a basaltic magma chamber replenished by influx of hot, dense ultrabasic magma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huppert, Herbert E.; Sparks, R. Stephen J.

1981-09-01

This paper describes a fluid dynamical investigation of the influx of hot, dense ultrabasic magma into a reservoir containing lighter, fractionated basaltic magma. This situation is compared with that which develops when hot salty water is introduced under cold fresh water. Theoretical and empirical models for salt/water systems are adapted to develop a model for magmatic systems. A feature of the model is that the ultrabasic melt does not immediately mix with the basalt, but spreads out over the floor of the chamber, forming an independent layer. A non-turbulent interface forms between this layer and the overlying magma layer across which heat and mass are transferred by the process of molecular diffusion. Both layers convect vigorously as heat is transferred to the upper layer at a rate which greatly exceeds the heat lost to the surrounding country rock. The convection continues until the two layers have almost the same temperature. The compositions of the layers remain distinct due to the low diffusivity of mass compared to heat. The temperatures of the layers as functions of time and their cooling rate depend on their viscosities, their thermal properties, the density difference between the layers and their thicknesses. For a layer of ultrabasic melt (18% MgO) a few tens of metres thick at the base of a basaltic (10% MgO) magma chamber a few kilometres thick, the temperature of the layers will become nearly identical over a period of between a few months and a few years. During this time the turbulent convective velocities in the ultrabasic layer are far larger than the settling velocity of olivines which crystallise within the layer during cooling. Olivines only settle after the two layers have nearly reached thermal equilibrium. At this stage residual basaltic melt segregates as the olivines sediment in the lower layer. Depending on its density, the released basalt can either mix convectively with the overlying basalt layer, or can continue as a separate layer. The model provides an explanation for large-scale cyclic layering in basic and ultrabasic intrusions. The model also suggests reasons for the restriction of erupted basaltic liquids to compositions with MgO<10% and the formation of some quench textures in layered igneous rocks.

Field observations of Flood Basalt structure: Implications for offshore interpretation and sub-volcanic investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Single, R.; Jerram, D.; Pearson, D.; Hobbs, R.

2003-04-01

Field investigations in Skye and Namibia have provided insight into structure and architecture of CFBs. The studies have been developed into lava sequence models in 3-D software GoCad. The understanding has been applied to interpretation of lavas in the Faeroe-Shetland trough. Volcanics hinder petroleum exploration in this play due to their complex internal geometries and velocity structure. Seismic resolution is poor beneath volcanics. Fieldwork has shown that lavas on Skye have developed from (olivine-phyric) compound basalts towards the base of the sequence, into more massive flows higher up the succession. Fieldwork in the Etendeka CFBs reveal a similar style of lava field development. The focus of the offshore study is through the area of the GFA-99 seismic data. Detailed 3-D interpretation over the central data area is 20x20km in dimensions. The lava sequence present may be sub-divided vertically and laterally into 4 zones between the following seismic picks: Base basalt/sub-basalt sills, top compound lava-dominated series, top Middle Series, top hyaloclastites, top massive basalt. Within the lava sequence, the surfaces have rugose topographies. Lower zone lavas are characterised by discontinuous, indistinct reflectors. These are interpreted to be sub-aerially effused basalts with compound-braided architecture. Middle Series basalts are considered to be a combination of compound lavas and more massive, tabular flows. Steeply dipping seismic reflectors also form part of the Middle Series and are interpreted as foreset-bedded hyaloclastites. The uppermost lavas have strong reflection characteristics and are laterally extensive. These are interpreted to be massive tabular lavas covering an area >8.4 x10^3 km^2. Such flows exist in upper parts of CFB sequences as evidenced from fieldwork. Complex stacking arrangements of lavas seen in the field, and the complexities observed in seismic, suggest that many factors need to be considered within CFBs for improved sub-volcanic imaging. Factors include understanding: The facies-zones present, changes in velocity structure and the geometries present within facies types. EU 5th Framework Project SIMBA is a collaborative research project combining industrial and academic partners in flood basalt research. SIMBA incorporates: TotalFinaElf GRC, ARK Geophysics, Norsk Hydro, Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) and Universities of Durham, Cambridge, UC Dublin and Brest.

Cost and Performance Report of Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH) for Source Treatment. Addendum

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-29

and clay. The Upper Cretaceous Severn, Matawan, and Magothy Formations underlie the Brightseat Formation. The groundwater table at the site is...Table 1, the aquifers include, in descending order, the Aquia, the Monmouth, the Magothy , the Upper and Lower Patapsco and the Patuxent. The... Magothy Magothy Aquifer Sand, light-gray to white, with interbedded thin layers of organic clay. _-300(1) Confining Unit _-360(1) Upper Patapsco

Osmium isotopes and mantle convection.

PubMed

Hauri, Erik H

2002-11-15

The decay of (187)Re to (187)Os (with a half-life of 42 billion years) provides a unique isotopic fingerprint for tracing the evolution of crustal materials and mantle residues in the convecting mantle. Ancient subcontinental mantle lithosphere has uniquely low Re/Os and (187)Os/(188)Os ratios due to large-degree melt extraction, recording ancient melt-depletion events as old as 3.2 billion years. Partial melts have Re/Os ratios that are orders of magnitude higher than their sources, and the subduction of oceanic or continental crust introduces into the mantle materials that rapidly accumulate radiogenic (187)Os. Eclogites from the subcontinental lithosphere have extremely high (187)Os/(188)Os ratios, and record ages as old as the oldest peridotites. The data show a near-perfect partitioning of Re/Os and (187)Os/(188)Os ratios between peridotites (low) and eclogites (high). The convecting mantle retains a degree of Os-isotopic heterogeneity similar to the lithospheric mantle, although its amplitude is modulated by convective mixing. Abyssal peridotites from the ocean ridges have low Os isotope ratios, indicating that the upper mantle had undergone episodes of melt depletion prior to the most recent melting events to produce mid-ocean-ridge basalt. The amount of rhenium estimated to be depleted from the upper mantle is 10 times greater than the rhenium budget of the continental crust, requiring a separate reservoir to close the mass balance. A reservoir consisting of 5-10% of the mantle with a rhenium concentration similar to mid-ocean-ridge basalt would balance the rhenium depletion of the upper mantle. This reservoir most likely consists of mafic oceanic crust recycled into the mantle over Earth's history and provides the material that melts at oceanic hotspots to produce ocean-island basalts (OIBs). The ubiquity of high Os isotope ratios in OIB, coupled with other geochemical tracers, indicates that the mantle sources of hotspots contain significant quantities (greater than 10%) of lithologically distinct mafic material which represents ancient oceanic lithosphere cycled through the convecting mantle on a time-scale of 800 million years or more.

Crustal Structure of the Flood Basalt Province of Ethiopia from Constrained 3-D Gravity Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mammo, Tilahun

2013-12-01

The Oligocene Afar mantle plume resulted in the eruption of a large volume of basaltic magma, including major sequences of rhyolitic ignimbrites, in a short span of time across Ethiopia. In order to assess the impact of these magmatic processes on the crust and to investigate the general crustal configuration beneath the Ethiopian plateau, northern part of the Main Ethiopian Rift and the Afar depression, analysis and modeling of the gravity field have been conducted. The Bouguer gravity map is dominated by long-wavelength anomalies that primarily arise from the isostatic compensation of the topography. Consequently, anomalies within the crust/upper mantle are masked and quantitative interpretation becomes difficult. The long-wavelength anomalies are approximated using admittance technique and subsequently removed from the Bouguer anomalies to obtain the residual isostatic anomalies. The residual map contains both short- and intermediate-wavelength anomalies related to geologic and tectonic features. The long-wavelength regional isostatic field is used to map the crust-mantle interface and the results are in good agreement with those determined by other geophysical methods. Seismic constrained gravity inversion was performed on the isostatic residual field and series of three-dimensional models have been constructed for the structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath the uplifted and rifted flood basalt province of northern Ethiopia. The inversion results have shown that the NW plateau has thick crust that rests on normal lithospheric mantle. Afar, On the other hand, is marked by thin stretched crust resting on a low-density upper mantle indicating a hotter thermal regime and partial melt. No lithospheric mantle is observed beneath Afar. The models further indicate the presence of an extensive sub-crustal thick (~12 km on average) and high-density (~3.06 gm/cc) mafic accreted igneous layer of fractionated cumulate (magmatic underplating) beneath the NW plateau. The study suggests that the underplate was fundamental to the accretion process and may have played a role in compensating most of the plateau uplift and in localizing stresses.

Upper Cretaceous to Holocene magmatism and evidence for transient Miocene shallowing of the Andean subduction zone under the northern Neuquén Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kay, Suzanne M.; Burns, W. Matthew; Copeland, Peter; Mancilla, Oscar

2006-01-01

Evidence for a Miocene period of transient shallow subduction under the Neuquén Basin in the Andean backarc, and an intermittent Upper Cretaceous to Holocene frontal arc with a relatively stable magma source and arc-to-trench geometry comes from new 40Ar/39Ar, major- and trace-element, and Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopic data on magmatic rocks from a transect at ∼36°–38°S. Older frontal arc magmas include early Paleogene volcanic rocks erupted after a strong Upper Cretaceous contractional deformation and mid-Eocene lavas erupted from arc centers displaced slightly to the east. Following a gap of some 15 m.y., ca. 26–20 Ma mafic to acidic arc-like magmas erupted in the extensional Cura Mallín intra-arc basin, and alkali olivine basalts with intraplate signatures erupted across the backarc. A major change followed as ca. 20–15 Ma basaltic andesite–dacitic magmas with weak arc signatures and 11.7 Ma Cerro Negro andesites with stronger arc signatures erupted in the near to middle backarc. They were followed by ca. 7.2–4.8 Ma high-K basaltic to dacitic hornblende-bearing magmas with arc-like high field strength element depletion that erupted in the Sierra de Chachahuén, some 500 km east of the trench. The chemistry of these Miocene rocks along with the regional deformational pattern support a transient period of shallow subduction that began at ca. 20 Ma and climaxed near 5 Ma. The subsequent widespread eruption of Pliocene to Pleistocene alkaline magmas with an intraplate chemistry in the Payenia large igneous province signaled a thickening mantle wedge above a steepening subduction zone. A pattern of decreasingly arc-like Pliocene to Holocene backarc lavas in the Tromen region culminated with the eruption of a 0.175 ± 0.025 Ma mafic andesite. The northwest-trending Cortaderas lineament, which generally marks the southern limit of Neogene backarc magmatism, is considered to mark the southern boundary of the transient shallow subduction zone.

The change of magma chamber depth in and around the Baekdu Volcanic area from late Cenozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. H.; Oh, C. W.; Lee, Y. S.; Lee, S. G.; Liu, J.

2016-12-01

The Baekdu Volcano is a 2750m high stratovolcanic cone resting on a basaltic shield and plateau and locates on the North Korea-China border. Its volcanic history can be divided into four stages (from the oldest to the youngest): (i) preshield plateau-forming eruptions, (ii) basalt shield formation, (iii) construction of a trachytic composite cone, and (iv) explosive ignimbrite forming eruptions. In the First stage, a fissure eruption produced basalts from the Oligocene to the Miocene (28-13 Ma) forming preshield plateau. Fissure and central eruptions occurred together during the shield-forming eruptions (4.21-1.70 Ma). In the third stage, the trachytic composite volcano formed during the Pleistocene (0.61-0.09 Ma). In this stage, magma changed to an acidic melt. The latest stage has been characterized by explosive ignimbrite-forming eruptions during the Holocene. The composite volcanic part consists of the Xiaobaishan, Lower, Middle and Upper Trachytes with rhyolites. The whole rock and clinopyroxene in basalts, trachytic and rhyolite, are analyzed to study the depth of magma chambers under the Baekdu Volcano. From the rhyolite, 9.8-12.7kbar is obtained for the depth of magma chamber. 3.7-4.1, 8.9-10.5 and 8.7 kbar are obtained from the middle, lower and Xiaobaishan trachytes. From the first and second stage basalts, 16.9-17.0 kbar and 14-14.4kbar are obtained respectively. The first stage basalt give extrusive age of 11.98 Ma whereas 1.12 and 1.09 Ma are obtained from the feldspar and groundmass in the second stage basalt. The Xiaobaishan trachyte and rhyolite give 0.25 and 0.21 Ma whereas the Middle trachyte gives 0.07-0.06 Ma. These data indicate that the magma chambers of the first and second stage basalts were located in the mantle and the magma chamber for the second stage basalt may have been underplated below continental crust. The Xiaobisan trachyte and rhyolite originated from the magma chamber in the depth of ca. 30-40 km and the Middle trachyte originated from the magma chamber in the depth of 9-13 km. These depths of magma chambers for trychyte and rhyolite are similar to the first, third and fourth magma chambers figured out from the seismic survey and the result of this study suggest that the depth of magma chambers under the Baekdu Volcano moved to shallow depth as time passed.

Magnetotellurics applied to the study of the Guaraní aquifer in Entre Ríos Province, N-E Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favetto, Alicia; Curcio, Ana; Pomposiello, Cristina

2011-07-01

The South American Guaraní Aquifer System covers the entire Parana basin and part of the Chaco-Parana basin. This system is one of the most important groundwater reservoirs; it is shared by four neighboring countries covering an area larger than one million square kilometers. The geological units closely related to the Guaraní Aquifer are the Piramboia and Botucatu Formations that consist of Triassic-Jurassic aeolian, fluvial and lacustrine sandstones, and the Serra Geral basalts with clastic intercalations. Serra Geral, an effusive Cretaceous complex, covers the sandstones and provides a high degree of confinement to the system. This paper presents the interpretation of magnetotelluric (MT) data collected during 2007-2008 in Entre Ríos Province, Argentina. These data, recorded in three profiles, mainly provide the depth to the crystalline basement, determinant for the presence of aquifer-related sediments. Models showed that the discrimination of the basalts strongly depends on local electrical characteristics. Model information is quite consistent with the information from oil and thermal wells located close to the profiles.

Stratigraphy, petrography, and provenance of Archean sedimentary rocks of the Nsuze Group, Pongola Supergroup, in the Wit M'folozi Inlier, South Africa

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

Gamero de Villarroel, H.; Lowe, D.R.

1993-02-01

The Upper Archean Pongola Supergroup is a succession of clastic and volcanic rocks that represents the oldest relatively unmetamorphosed sedimentary sequence deposited on the basement of the 3.5-3.2 Ga-old Kaapvaal Craton. The Pongola Supergroup includes two subdivisions, the Nsuze and the Mozaan Groups. The Nsuze Group is composed of clastic rocks, minor carbonate units, and basalt. Nsuze sandstones are dominated by granite-derived sediments, and minor basaltic-derived detritus. Most Nsuze sedimentary rocks are sandstones that include both quartz-fieldspar and lithic-rich varieties. The mineralogy of Nsuze sandstones reflects the mixing of debris derived from two distinctive sources: (1) a sialic plutonic sourcemore » yielding quartz and microcline and (2) a basaltic source yielding basaltic lithic detritus and plagioclase. The most likely source rocks for the Nsuze sandstones in the Wit M'folozi Inlier were Archean granitic basement, represented by the Mpuluzi batholith, and Nsuze basaltic volcanic rocks. Both continental arc and rift settings have been proposed for the Pongola Supergroup. Nsuze sandstones show similarities to continental arc sandstone suites. However, there is no report of the existence of high standing stratovolcanoes, calc-alkaline plutonism, or contact and regional metamorphism of the intruded volcanic-sedimentary and basement rocks in the Pongola basin, features that are typically associated with continental arcs. The dominance of continent-derived detritus in the Nsuze Group argues that volcanic rocks made up a minor part of the exposed source area and that volcanism was largely restricted to the basin of deposition. Collectively, available evidence favors an intracratonic rift for the depositional setting of the Nsuze Group.« less

Genesis of zircon megacrysts in Cenozoic alkali basalts and the heterogeneity of subcontinental lithospheric mantle, eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yao; Xu, Xisheng; Chen, Xiaoming

2010-09-01

Zircon megacrysts are found in alluvial deposits associated with Cenozoic basalts from Changle in Shandong Province, Mingxi in Fujian Province and Penglai in Hainan Province within the coastal area of eastern China. They are colourless, transparent to light brown-maroon, and some of them are up to 16 mm long. U-Pb ages of zircon megacrysts from Changle, Mingxi and Penglai are 19.2 ± 0.7 Ma, 1.2 ± 0.1 Ma and 4.1 ± 0.2 Ma respectively, slightly older than the eruption ages of their corresponding host rocks (16.05-18.87 Ma, 0.9-2.2 Ma, 3 Ma). ɛHf(t) values of zircon megacrysts are 9.02 ± 0.49, 6.83 ± 0.47, 4.46 ± 0.48 for Changle, Mingxi and Penglai, respectively, which indicates their mantle origin. We suggest that the zircon megacrysts originated from metasomatised lithospheric mantle and were later brought up quickly by the host basaltic magma. The euhedral forms, uniform internal structure and chemical homogeneity within a single grain suggest crystallization under stable conditions. Pronounced positive Ce anomalies and negligible Eu anomalies suggest oxidizing conditions and little or no fractional crystallization of plagioclase. The differences in Hf-isotope compositions among the zircon megacrysts from different localities are consistent with the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of their respective host basalts. This indicates that the host basalts acquired their isotopic signatures from the lithospheric mantle from which the zircon megacrysts derived. These data document the lateral compositional heterogeneity in the upper mantle beneath eastern China. Like mantle xenoliths, zircon megacrysts also have the potential to fingerprint the composition and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

Modeling magma flow and cooling in dikes: Implications for emplacement of Columbia River flood basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petcovic, Heather L.; Dufek, Josef D.

2005-10-01

The Columbia River flood basalts include some of the world's largest individual lava flows, most of which were fed by the Chief Joseph dike swarm. The majority of dikes are chilled against their wall rock; however, rare dikes caused their wall rock to undergo partial melting. These partial melt zones record the thermal history of magma flow and cooling in the dike and, consequently, the emplacement history of the flow it fed. Here, we examine two-dimensional thermal models of basalt injection, flow, and cooling in a 10-m-thick dike constrained by the field example of the Maxwell Lake dike, a likely feeder to the large-volume Wapshilla Ridge unit of the Grande Ronde Basalt. Two types of models were developed: static conduction simulations and advective transport simulations. Static conduction simulation results confirm that instantaneous injection and stagnation of a single dike did not produce wall rock melt. Repeated injection generated wall rock melt zones comparable to those observed, yet the regular texture across the dike and its wall rock is inconsistent with repeated brittle injection. Instead, advective flow in the dike for 3-4 years best reproduced the field example. Using this result, we estimate that maximum eruption rates for Wapshilla Ridge flows ranged from 3 to 5 km3 d-1. Local eruption rates were likely lower (minimum 0.1-0.8 km3 d-1), as advective modeling results suggest that other fissure segments as yet unidentified fed the same flow. Consequently, the Maxwell Lake dike probably represents an upper crustal (˜2 km) exposure of a long-lived point source within the Columbia River flood basalts.

Hydrogeology and water quality of the shallow aquifer system at the Mainside, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Site, Dahlgren, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harlow, G.E.; Bell, C.F.

1996-01-01

Lithologic and geophysical logs of boreholes at 29 sites show that the hydrogeologic framework of the Mainside of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Site at Dahlgren, Virginia, consists of un-consolidated sedimentary deposits of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. The upper 220 feet of these sediments are divided into five hydrogeologic units, including the (1) Columbia (water-table) aquifer, (2) upper confining unit, (3) upper confined aquifer, (4) Nanjemoy-Marlboro confining unit, and (5) Aquia aquifer. The Columbia aquifer in the study area is a local system that is not affected by regional pumping. Ground-water recharge occurs at topographic highs in the northern part of the Mainside, and ground-water discharge occurs at topographic lows associated with adjacent surface-water bodies. Regionally, the direction of ground-water flow in the upper confined and Aquia aquifers is toward the southwest and southeast, respectively. A downward hydraulic gradient exists between the aquifers in the shallow system, and stresses on the Aquia aquifer are indicated by heads that range between 2 and 12 feet below sea level. The ratio of median horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the Columbia aquifer to median vertical hydraulic con-ductivity of the upper confining unit, however, is approximately 2,600:1; therefore, under natural- flow conditions, most water in the Columbia aquifer probably discharges to adjacent surface- water bodies. The composition and distribution of major ions vary in the Columbia aquifer. In general, water samples from wells located along the inland perimeter roads of the study area have chloride or a combination of chloride and sulfate as the dominant anions, and water samples from wells located in the interior of the study area have bicarbonate or a combination of bicarbonate and sulfate as the dominant anions. Sodium and calcium were the dominant cations in most samples. Dissolved solids and four inorganic constituents are present in water from the Columbia aquifer at concentrations that exceed the secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL's) for drinking water established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Concentration of dissolved solids exceed the SMCL of 500 milligrams per liter in 3 of 29 samples from the Columbia aquifer. An elevated concentration of sodium is present in one water sample, and elevated concentrations of chloride are present in two water samples. Concentrations of dissolved iron and manga-nese exceed the SMCL in 10 and 17 of 29 water samples, respectively, and are the most extensive water-quality problem with regard to inorganic constituents in the Columbia aquifer.

Geochemistry of komatiites and basalts from the Rio das Velhas and Pitangui greenstone belts, São Francisco Craton, Brazil: Implications for the origin, evolution, and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Sanjeet K.; Oliveira, Elson P.; Silva, Paola M.; Moreno, Juan A.; Amaral, Wagner S.

2017-07-01

The Neoarchean Rio das Velhas and Pitangui greenstone belts are situated in the southern São Francisco Craton, Minas Gerais, Brazil. These greenstone belts were formed between ca. 2.79-2.73 Ga, and consist mostly of mafic to ultramafic volcanics and clastic sediments, with minor chemical sediments and felsic volcanics that were metamorphosed under greenschist facies. Komatiites are found only in the Rio das Velhas greenstone belt, which is composed of high-MgO volcanic rocks that have been identified as komatiites and high-Mg basalts, based on their distinctive geochemical characteristics. The Rio das Velhas komatiites are composed of tremolite + actinolite + serpentine + albite with a relict spinifex-texture. The Rio das Velhas komatiites have a high magnesium content ((MgO)adj ≥ 28 wt.%), an Al-undepleted Munro-type [(Al2O3/TiO2)adj and (CaO/Al2O3)adj] ratio ranging from 27 to 47 and 0.48 to 0.89, relatively low abundances of incompatible elements, a depletion of light rare earth elements (LREE), a pattern of non-fractionated heavy rare- earth elements (HREE), and a low (Gd/Yb)PM ratio (≤ 1.0). Negative Ce anomalies suggest that alteration occurred during greenschist facies metamorphism for the komatiites and high-Mg basalts. The low [(Gd/Yb)PM < 1.0] and [(CaO/Al2O3)adj < 0.9)], high [(Al2O3/TiO2)adj > 18] and high HREE, Y, and Zr content suggest that the Rio das Velhas komatiites were derived from the shallow upper mantle without garnet involvement in the residue. The chemical compositions [(Al2O3/TiO2)adj, (FeO)adj, (MgO)adj, (CaO/Al2O3)adj, Na, Th, Ta, Ni, Cr, Zr, Y, Hf, and REE] indicate that the formation of the komatiites, high-Mg basalts and basalts occurred at different depths and temperatures in a heterogeneous mantle. The komatiites and high-Mg basalts melted at liquidus temperatures of 1450-1550 °C. The Pitangui basalts are enriched in the highly incompatible LILE (large-ion lithophile elements) relative to the moderately incompatible HFS (high field strength) elements. The Zr/Th ratio ranging from 76 to 213 and the relationship between the Nb/Th and Th/Yb ratios indicate that there is no crustal contamination in the Pitangui greenstone basalts. New multi-dimensional discrimination diagrams and conventional normalized multi-element diagrams indicate an island arc (IA) setting for the komatiites and high-Mg basalts from the Rio das Velhas and a mid ocean-ridge (MOR) to IA setting for the basalts from the Pitangui greenstone belts.

Heterogeneous source components of intraplate basalts from NE China induced by the ongoing Pacific slab subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huan; Xia, Qun-Ke; Ingrin, Jannick; Deloule, Etienne; Bi, Yao

2017-02-01

The subduction of oceanic slabs is widely accepted to be a main reason for chemical heterogeneities in the mantle. However, determining the contributions of slabs in areas that have experienced multiple subduction events is often difficult due to possible overlapping imprints. Understanding the temporal and spatial variations of source components for widespread intraplate small volume basalts in eastern China may be a basis for investigating the influence of the subducted Pacific slab, which has long been postulated but never confirmed. For this purpose, we investigated the Chaihe-aershan volcanic field (including more than 35 small-volume Quaternary basaltic volcanoes) in NE China and measured the oxygen isotopes and water content of clinopyroxene (cpx) phenocrysts using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The water content of magma was then estimated based on the partition coefficient of H2O between cpx and the basaltic melt. The δ18O of cpx phenocrysts (4.28‰ to 8.57‰) and H2O content of magmas (0.19 wt.%-2.70 wt.%) show large variations, reflecting the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle source. The δ18O values and H2O content within individual samples also display considerable variation, suggesting the mixing of magmas and that the magma mixing occurred shortly before the eruption. The relation between the δ18O values of cpx phenocrysts and the H2O/Ce ratio, Ba/Th ratio and Eu anomaly of whole rocks demonstrates the contributions of three components to the mantle source (hydrothermally altered upper oceanic crust and marine sediments, altered lower gabbroic oceanic crust, and ambient mantle). The proportions of these three components have varied widely over time (∼1.37 Ma to ∼0.25 Ma). The Pacific slab is constantly subducted under eastern Asia and continuously transports recycled materials to the deep mantle. The temporal heterogeneity of the source components may be caused by ongoing Pacific slab subduction. Combined with other basalt localities in eastern China (Shuangliao basalts, Taihang basalts and Shangdong basalts), the contributions of recycled oceanic components in their mantle source are heterogeneous. This spatial heterogeneity of mantle sources may be induced by variable alterations and dehydration during the recycling process of the Pacific slab. Our results show that the source components of Cenozoic intraplate small-volume basalts in eastern China are temporally and spatially heterogeneous, which is likely induced by the ongoing subduction of the Pacific slab. This demonstrates that integrating the temporal variations in geochemical characteristics and tectonic history of a study region can identify the subducted oceanic plate that induced enriched components in the mantle source of intraplate basalts.

Petrology and Geochemistry of an Upper Crustal Mafic Complex- Hidden Lakes, Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, M.; Bucholz, C. E.; Jagoutz, O. E.; Eddy, M. P.

2017-12-01

Magmatic differentiation in arc settings is likely a polybaric process, with crystallization of primitive basalts occurring primarily in the lower crust and more evolved melts in the upper crust. The general lack of mafic-ultramafic cumulates in the silicic paleo-arc upper crust supports this model. However, the Sierra Nevada Batholith preserves numerous mafic intrusions up to 25 km2, suggesting that significant volumes of mafic magma may differentiate at shallow crustal levels. Previous studies on several such intrusions report ages contemporaneous with Cretaceous batholith emplacement (Coleman et al., 1995), but only a few have investigated their chemistry and relationship to arc magmatism (Frost, 1987; Frost & Mahood, 1987; Sisson et al., 1996). We present field observations, petrography, mineral chemistry, and bulk rock compositional data for the Hidden Lakes Mafic Complex (HLMC), located in the Central Sierra Nevada Batholith. Preliminary CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages constrain crystallization between 90 and 95 Ma, slightly older than the surrounding Cretaceous felsic plutons (89-90 Ma) and younger than adjacent Jurassic granodiorites (172 Ma). This 2.2 km2 complex consists of biotite+amphibole gabbros through qtz-monzonites, in gradational contact, and contains local pods of biotite- and amphibole-bearing olivine-orthopyroxenites and gabbronorites. Mineral compositions and field relations suggest that these lithologies were derived from a common crystallization sequence. The most primitive olivine-pyroxenite contains olivine and orthopyroxene in equilibrium with a melt with Mg# 54. Subsequent crystallization over a temperature range of 1025 to 700°C produced more evolved lithologies up to qtz-monzonites. Al-in-hornblende calculations for HLMC qtz-monzonites indicate a crystallization depth of 9-10 km, well into the upper crust. The early crystallization of amphibole requires a parental basalt with >6 wt% H2O, which may have enabled it to ascend into the upper crust due to decreased density and viscosity. However, the estimated parental melt is not primitive (rather than Mg# 70), suggesting that differentiation of a more mafic precursor parental melt in the lower crust modified the chemistry and rheological properties of the melt prior to its ascent into the upper crust.

Use of joint-growth directions and rock textures to infer thermal regimes during solidification of basaltic lava flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degraff, James M.; Long, Philip E.; Aydin, Atilla

1989-09-01

Thermal contraction joints form in the upper and lower solidifying crusts of basaltic lava flows and grow toward the interior as the crusts thicken. Lava flows are thus divided by vertical joints that, by changes in joint spacing and form, define horizontal intraflow layers known as tiers. Entablatures are tiers with joint spacings less than about 40 cm, whereas colonnades have larger joint spacings. We use structural and petrographic methods to infer heat-transfer processes and to constrain environmental conditions that produce these contrasting tiers. Joint-surface morphology indicates overall joint-growth direction and thus identifies the level in a flow where the upper and lower crusts met. Rock texture provides information on relative cooling rates in the tiers of a flow. Lava flows without entablature have textures that develop by relatively slow cooling, and two joint sets that usually meet near their middles, which indicate mostly conductive cooling. Entablature-bearing flows have two main joint sets that meet well below their middles, and textures that indicate fast cooling of entablatures and slow cooling of colonnades. Entablatures always occur in the upper joint sets and sometimes alternate several times with colonnades. Solidification times of entablature-bearing flows, constrained by lower joint-set thicknesses, are much less than those predicted by a purely conductive cooling model. These results are best explained by a cooling model based on conductive heat transfer near a flow base and water-steam convection in the upper part of an entablature-bearing flow. Calculated solidification rates in the upper parts of such flows exceed that of the upper crust of Kilauea Iki lava lake, where water-steam convection is documented. Use of the solidification rates in an available model of water-steam convection yields permeability values that agree with measured values for fractured crystalline rock. We conclude, therefore, that an entablature forms when part of a flow cools very rapidly by water-steam convection. Flooding of the flow top by surface drainage most likely induces the convection. Colonnades form under conditions of slower cooling by conductive heat transfer in the absence of water.

Application of environmental tracers to mixing, evolution, and nitrate contamination of ground water in Jeju Island, Korea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koh, D.-C.; Plummer, Niel; Kip, Solomon D.; Busenberg, E.; Kim, Y.-J.; Chang, H.-W.

2006-01-01

Tritium/helium-3 (3H/3He) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were investigated as environmental tracers in ground water from Jeju Island (Republic of Korea), a basaltic volcanic island. Ground-water mixing was evaluated by comparing 3H and CFC-12 concentrations with lumped-parameter dispersion models, which distinguished old water recharged before the 1950s with negligible 3H and CFC-12 from younger water. Low 3H levels in a considerable number of samples cannot be explained by the mixing models, and were interpreted as binary mixing of old and younger water; a process also identified in alkalinity and pH of ground water. The ground-water CFC-12 age is much older in water from wells completed in confined zones of the hydro-volcanic Seogwipo Formation in coastal areas than in water from the basaltic aquifer. Major cation concentrations are much higher in young water with high nitrate than those in uncontaminated old water. Chemical evolution of ground water resulting from silicate weathering in basaltic rocks reaches the zeolite-smectite phase boundary. The calcite saturation state of ground water increases with the CFC-12 apparent (piston flow) age. In agricultural areas, the temporal trend of nitrate concentration in ground water is consistent with the known history of chemical fertilizer use on the island, but increase of nitrate concentration in ground water is more abrupt after the late 1970s compared with the exponential growth of nitrogen inputs. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What Factors Control Platinum-Group Element (PGE) Abundances in Basalts From the Ontong Java Plateau?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chazey, W. J.; Neal, C. R.

2002-12-01

Eleven samples encompassing four sites drilled by Ocean Drilling Program Leg 192 to the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) were analyzed for major, trace and platinum-group (PGEs: Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, and Pd) elements. Based on major and trace element chemistry, these are divided into two groups: a primitive group, which was newly discovered on Leg 192, and Kwaimbaita-type basalts, which are ubiquitous on the OJP (cf. Tejada et al., 2002, J. Pet. 43:449). The primitive group is relatively enriched in MgO, Ni, and Cr and relatively depleted in incompatible elements compared to the Kwaimbaita-type basalts. Petrography indicates that the fractionating phases during emplacement of both types of basalts were olivine and Cr-spinel +/- plagioclase +/- cpx. Normalized PGE profiles are fractionated, but exhibit a flattening between Ru and Ir and occasionally an enrichment in Ir. It has been shown that chromite can preferentially incorporate Os and Ru (Kd ?150) over Ir (Kd ?100), which may account for the Ir and Ru systematics. We do not consider sulfide to be a factor in fractionating the PGEs because it is either absent or present as a trace phase in these basalts and the OJP basalts are sulfur undersaturated (Michael and Cornell, 1996, EOS 77:714). Additionally, the primitive samples from the OJP also have Cu/Pd ratios (4500-8000) that are roughly similar to primitive mantle (7300), and have a generally flat transition from Pd to Y on a primitive mantle-normalized plot. It is unlikely that these samples reached sulfur saturation. The Kwaimbaita-type basalts have slightly elevated Cu/Pd ratios (9000-14000). While there are subtle differences between the PGE profiles of basalts from the Leg 192 drill cores compared to OJP basalts from subaerial outcrops in the Solomon Islands (e.g., the former have general lower Pt/Rh and higher Rh/Ru ratios), it is apparent that silicate and oxide phases are controlling the PGE profiles and abundances. For example, the six samples analyzed from Site 1185 demonstrate a positive correlation of Ru and Ir with Cr and Ni, suggesting a close association of these elements with the observed olivine and Cr-spinel phenocrysts. For all OJP basalts for which we have PGE data, there is a general positive correlation using MgO (or Cr or Ni) as a fractionation index and PGE abundance as well as ratios such as Pt/Y. Therefore, fractional crystallization controls the PGE contents of the OJP basalts. However, as noted by Ely and Neal (2002, Chem. Geol., in press) the abundances require a source enriched in the PGEs over upper mantle and, in some cases, primitive mantle. Such sources require a PGE enriched component that could be from the outer core, although as noted by Parkinson et al. (2001, EOS 82:F1398) this component is not always required. Further work is underway to substantiate this.

Hydrogeologic Framework of Onslow County, North Carolina, 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fine, Jason M.

2008-01-01

The unconsolidated sediments that underlie the Onslow County area are composed of interlayered permeable and impermeable beds, which overlie the crystalline basement rocks. The aquifers, composed mostly of sand and limestone, are separated by confining units composed mostly of clay and silt. The aquifers from top to bottom are the surficial, Castle Hayne, Beaufort, Peedee, Black Creek, and Upper and Lower Cape Fear aquifers. For this study, the Castle Hayne aquifer is informally divided into the upper and lower Castle Hayne aquifers. The eight aquifers and seven confining units of the Tertiary and Cretaceous strata beneath Onslow County are presented in seven hydrogeologic sections. The hydrogeologic framework was refined from existing interpretations by using geophysical logs, driller's logs, and other available data from 123 wells and boreholes.

Nonlocal response in plasmonic waveguiding with extreme light confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toscano, Giuseppe; Raza, Søren; Yan, Wei; Jeppesen, Claus; Xiao, Sanshui; Wubs, Martijn; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.; Mortensen, N. Asger

2013-07-01

We present a novel wave equation for linearized plasmonic response, obtained by combining the coupled real-space differential equations for the electric field and current density. Nonlocal dynamics are fully accounted for, and the formulation is very well suited for numerical implementation, allowing us to study waveguides with subnanometer cross-sections exhibiting extreme light confinement. We show that groove and wedge waveguides have a fundamental lower limit in their mode confinement, only captured by the nonlocal theory. The limitation translates into an upper limit for the corresponding Purcell factors, and thus has important implications for quantum plasmonics.

Inter-aquifer Dynamics in and Near a Confining Unit Window in Shelby County, Tennessee, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentry, R. W.; McKay, L. D.; Larsen, D.; Carmichael, J. K.; Solomon, D. K.; Thonnard, N.; Anderson, J. L.

2003-12-01

An interdisplinary research team is investigating the interaction between the surficial alluvial aquifer and the deeper confined Memphis aquifer in the Memphis area, Shelby County, Tennessee. Previous research has identified a window in the clay-rich, upper Claiborne confining unit that separates the two aquifers near a closed municipal landfill in east-central Shelby County, an area undergoing rapid urbanization. For this investigation, a combination of environmental tracers (tritium/helium-3), major and trace ion geochemistry, hydraulic response testing, measurement of hydraulic gradients, and groundwater flow modeling is being used to quantify recharge of young water from the alluvial aquifer through the window to the Memphis aquifer. The research will provide results to better understand how windows were formed and how they influence recharge and water quality in otherwise confined parts of the Memphis aquifer downdip of its outcrop/subcrop area. Examination of continuous core samples and geophysical logs from wells installed for the study using Rotasonic drilling methods confirmed the existence of a sand-dominated window that may be as much as 1 km in diameter in the upper Claiborne confining unit. The upper Claiborne confining unit is 15 to 20 m thick in most of the study area and is overlain by a 10 to 12 m thick alluvial aquifer. The window is interpreted to have formed as a result of depositional and incisional processes in an Eocene-age deltaic system. Hydraulic gradients of several feet exist vertically between the alluvial and Memphis aquifers within the window, indicating downward flow. Groundwater age-dates from tritium/helium-3 analyses indicate that groundwater in the window at the depth of the base of the surrounding confining unit (approximately 30 m) has an apparent age of 19.8 years, which confirms the occurrence of downward flow. Young groundwater age dates (less than 32 years) also were obtained from wells in the Memphis aquifer at confined sites downgradient of the window, suggesting that a plume of young water is spreading outwards from the window and mixing with the older Memphis aquifer water. Preliminary inverse modeling of the site using a genetic algorithm coupled with a central finite difference flow model indicates a probable steady-state downward flux of about 12,000 m3/d through the window. Collection and analysis of additional groundwater samples are planned to examine geochemical conditions in the confining unit and in the Memphis aquifer upgradient of the window. These analyses will aid in developing a final conceptual model and in subsequent numerical modeling of mixing of the young recharge water with the older Memphis aquifer water.

GLIMPCE Seismic reflection evidence of deep-crustal and upper-mantle intrusions and magmatic underplating associated with the Midcontinent Rift system of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Behrendt, John C.; Hutchinson, D.R.; Lee, M.; Thornber, C.R.; Tréhu, A.; Cannon, W.; Green, A.

1990-01-01

Deep-crustal and Moho reflections, recorded on vertical incidence and wide angle ocean bottom Seismometer (OBS) data in the 1986 GLIMPCE (Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution) experiment, provide evidence for magmatic underplating and intrusions within the lower crust and upper mantle contemporaneous with crustal extension in the Midcontinent Rift system at 1100 Ma. The rift fill consists of 20-30 km (7-10 s) of basalt flows, secondary syn-rift volcaniclastic and post-basalt sedimentary rock. Moho reflections recorded in Lake Superior over the Midcontinent Rift system have times from 14-18 s (about 46 km to as great as 58 km) in contrast to times of about 11-13 s (about 36-42 km crustal thickness) beneath the surrounding Great Lakes. The Seismically complex deep-crust to mantle transition zone (30-60 km) in north-central Lake Superior, which is 100 km wider than the rift half-graben, reflects the complicated products of tectonic and magmatic interaction of lower-crustal and mantle components during evolution or shutdown of the aborted Midcontinent Rift. In effect, mantle was changed into crust by lowering Seismic velocity (through intrusion of lower density magmatic rocks) and increasing Moho (about 8.1 km s-1 depth. 

In-situ arc crustal section formed at the initial stage of oceanic island arc -Diving survey in the Izu-Bonin forearc-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, O.; Yuasa, M.; Tani, K.; Umino, S.; Reagan, M. K.; Kanayama, K.; Harigane, Y.; Miyajima, Y.

2009-12-01

The Bonin Ridge is an unusually prominent forearc massif in the Izu-Bonin arc that exposes early arc volcanic rocks on Bonin Islands. Submarine parts of the ridge, which could complement the record of volcanism preserved on the islands, had not been extensively investigated. In 2007, dredge sampling in the Izu-Bonin forearc brought us ample evidence of exposure of arc crustal section formed at initial stage of this arc along the landward slope of Izu-Ogasawara trench. Based on this discovery, we conducted Shinkai 6500 submersible survey in May, 2009. This expedition enabled us to obtain general understanding of the crustal section that formed when this oceanic arc began. We investigated 3 areas of the Bonin Ridge. Near 28o25’N, 4 dives were used to look at the lower to upper crustal section. The deepest dive observed both gabbro and basalt/dolerite, and appears to have passed over the boundary between the two. Lower slope is composed of fractured gabbro, whereas pillow lava was observed in the uppermost part of this dive track. Two dives surveyed up-slope of the previous dive found outcrop of numerous doleritic basalt dykes and fractured basaltic lava cut by dykes between water depth of 6000 and 5500m. The shallowest dive recovered volcanic breccia and conglomerate with boninitic and basaltic clasts. Combined with results from other dives and dredging, the members of forearc crustal section are from bottom to top: 1) gabbroic rocks, 2) a sheeted dyke complex, 3) basaltic lava flows, 4) volcanic breccia and conglomerate with boninitic and basaltic clasts, 5) boninite and tholeiitic andesite lava flows and dykes (on the Bonin Islands). In addition to this crustal section, dredge sampling and ROV Kaiko dives recovered mantle peridotite below the gabbro. These observations indicate that almost all of the forearc crust down to Moho has been preserved. Preliminary data indicate that basaltic rocks made of sheeted dykes and lava flows and lower gabbros are generally comagmatic. These basalts show chemical characteristics similar to MORB (i.e., with no slab signature). These basalts have lower Ti, LREE, LREE/HREE, Nb/Zr and Zr/Y than Philippine Sea MORB, but with comparable or slightly lower 143Nd/144Nd. Even though the likely source of these MORB-like basalts can be linked to an Indian Ocean-type mantle, the source for these basalt could be more depleted due to previous event of melt extraction. These basalts also have distinctly higher 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb than Philippine Sea MORB, which may imply the presence of lithospheric mantle with ancient enrichment. Age determination of basalt and gabbro by Ar/Ar and U-Pb methods has confirmed that these rocks predate boninite and could be older than 50Ma. Chemically and petrographically they are similar to tholeiites from the Mariana forearc that predate boninitic volcanism in that region that are considered to be related to subduction (Reagan et al., in prep). This strongly implies that MORB-like tholeiitic magmatism was associated with forearc spreading along the length of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc.

Cool seafloor hydrothermal springs reveal global geochemical fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheat, C. Geoffrey; Fisher, Andrew T.; McManus, James; Hulme, Samuel M.; Orcutt, Beth N.

2017-10-01

We present geochemical data from the first samples of spring fluids from Dorado Outcrop, a basaltic edifice on 23 M.y. old seafloor of the Cocos Plate, eastern Pacific Ocean. These samples were collected from the discharge of a cool hydrothermal system (CHS) on a ridge flank, where typical reaction temperatures in the volcanic crust are low (2-20 °C) and fluid residence times are short. Ridge-flank hydrothermal systems extract 25% of Earth's lithospheric heat, with a global discharge rate equivalent to that of Earth's river discharge to the ocean; CHSs comprise a significant fraction of this global flow. Upper crustal temperatures around Dorado Outcrop are ∼15 °C, the calculated residence time is <3 y, and the composition of discharging fluids is only slightly altered from bottom seawater. Many of the major ions concentrations in spring fluids are indistinguishable from those of bottom seawater; however, concentrations of Rb, Mo, V, U, Mg, phosphate, Si and Li are different. Applying these observed differences to calculated global CHS fluxes results in chemical fluxes for these ions that are ≥15% of riverine fluxes. Fluxes of K and B also may be significant, but better analytical resolution is required to confirm this result. Spring fluids also have ∼50% less dissolved oxygen (DO) than bottom seawater. Calculations of an analytical model suggest that the loss of DO occurs primarily (>80%) within the upper basaltic crust by biotic and/or abiotic consumption. This calculation demonstrates that permeable pathways within the upper crust can support oxic water-rock interactions for millions of years.

Hydrogeology and groundwater quality of Highlands County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spechler, Rick M.

2010-01-01

Groundwater is the main source of water supply in Highlands County, Florida. As the demand for water in the county increases, additional information about local groundwater resources is needed to manage and develop the water supply effectively. To address the need for additional data, a study was conducted to evaluate the hydrogeology and groundwater quality of Highlands County. Total groundwater use in Highlands County has increased steadily since 1965. Total groundwater withdrawals increased from about 37 million gallons per day in 1965 to about 107 million gallons per day in 2005. Much of this increase in water use is related to agricultural activities, especially citrus cultivation, which increased more than 300 percent from 1965 to 2005. Highlands County is underlain by three principal hydrogeologic units. The uppermost water-bearing unit is the surficial aquifer, which is underlain by the intermediate aquifer system/intermediate confining unit. The lowermost hydrogeologic unit is the Floridan aquifer system, which consists of the Upper Floridan aquifer, as many as three middle confining units, and the Lower Floridan aquifer. The surficial aquifer consists primarily of fine-to-medium grained quartz sand with varying amounts of clay and silt. The aquifer system is unconfined and underlies the entire county. The thickness of the surficial aquifer is highly variable, ranging from less than 50 to more than 300 feet. Groundwater in the surficial aquifer is recharged primarily by precipitation, but also by septic tanks, irrigation from wells, seepage from lakes and streams, and the lateral groundwater inflow from adjacent areas. The intermediate aquifer system/intermediate confining unit acts as a confining layer (except where breached by sinkholes) that restricts the vertical movement of water between the surficial aquifer and the underlying Upper Floridan aquifer. The sediments have varying degrees of permeability and consist of permeable limestone, dolostone, or sand, or relatively impermeable layers of clay, clayey sand, or clayey carbonates. The thickness of the intermediate aquifer system/ intermediate confining unit ranges from about 200 feet in northwestern Highlands County to more than 600 feet in the southwestern part. Although the intermediate aquifer system is present in the county, it is unclear where the aquifer system grades into a confining unit in the eastern part of the county. Up to two water-bearing units are present in the intermediate aquifer system within the county. The lateral continuity and water-bearing potential of the various aquifers within the intermediate aquifer system are highly variable. The Floridan aquifer system is composed of a thick sequence of limestone and dolostone of Upper Paleocene to Oligocene age. The top of the aquifer system ranges from less than 200 feet below NGVD 29 in extreme northwestern Highlands County to more than 600 feet below NGVD 29 in the southwestern part. The principal source of groundwater supply in the county is the Upper Floridan aquifer. As of 2005, about 89 percent of the groundwater withdrawn from the county was obtained from this aquifer, mostly for agricultural irrigation and public supply. Over most of Highlands County, the Upper Floridan aquifer generally contains freshwater, and the Lower Floridan aquifer contains more mineralized water. The potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer is constantly fluctuating, mainly in response to seasonal variations in rainfall and groundwater withdrawals. The potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in May 2007, which represents the hydrologic conditions near the end of the dry season when water levels generally are near their lowest, ranged from about 79 feet above NGVD 29 in northwestern Highlands County to about 40 feet above NGVD 29 in the southeastern part of the county. The potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in September 2007 was about 3 to 10 feet high

Influence of the confining pressure on precursory and rupture processes of Westerly granite.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passelegue, Francois; Nicolas, Aurelien; Madonna, Claudio; Schubnel, Alexandre

2016-04-01

In the shallow crust, brittle deformation mechanisms lead to damage and rupture of rocks. These mechanisms are generally described by non-linear stress relations and decrease of the elastic moduli due to microcrak opening and sliding. However, failure mode depends on confining pressure and ranges from axial splitting to shear localization. Here we report experiments on Westerly granite samples deformed under controlled upper crustal stress conditions in the laboratory. Experiments were conducted under triaxial loading (σ1>σ2=σ3) at confining pressures (σ3) ranging from 2 to 50 MPa (similar to upper crustal stress conditions) and at constant axial strain rate 10-5/s. Usual a dual gain system, a high frequency acoustic monitoring array recorded particles acceleration during macroscopic rupture of the intact specimen and premonitory background microseismicity. Secondly, acoustic sensors were used in an active way to measure the evolution of elastic wave velocities. In addition, we used an amplified strain gage to record the dynamic stress change during the dynamic rupture. Our preliminary results show that increasing confining pressure leads to the transition between axial cracks opening to shear localization. This result is supported by the moment tensor solutions of acoustic emissions and CT scan imaging of the post mortem sample. In addition, we systematically observe an exponential increase of the premonitory activity up to the shear failure of the sample. While the intensity of this precursory activity increase with the confining pressure in term of energy, the crack density leading to the failure of the sample is independent of the confinement. We show that the dynamic rupture occurs in only few microseconds, suggesting a rupture speed close to the shear wave velocity. In addition, the ratio between the stress drop and the peak of stress increases with the confinement. This result suggest that the weakening of faulting increases with the confinement. Finally, using both dynamic stress drop and axial displacement measurement, we show that the fracture energy increases with both confining pressure and seismic slip.

Geomorphic effects, flood power, and channel competence of a catastrophic flood in confined and unconfined reaches of the upper Lockyer valley, southeast Queensland, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Chris; Croke, Jacky

2013-09-01

Flooding is a persistent natural hazard, and even modest changes in future climate are believed to lead to large increases in flood magnitude. Previous studies of extreme floods have reported a range of geomorphic responses from negligible change to catastrophic channel change. This paper provides an assessment of the geomorphic effects of a rare, high magnitude event that occurred in the Lockyer valley, southeast Queensland in January 2011. The average return interval of the resulting flood was ~ 2000 years in the upper catchment and decreased to ~ 30 years downstream. A multitemporal LiDAR-derived DEM of Difference (DoD) is used to quantify morphological change in two study reaches with contrasting valley settings (confined and unconfined). Differences in geomorphic response between reaches are examined in the context of changes in flood power, channel competence and degree of valley confinement using a combination of one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) hydraulic modelling. Flood power peaked at 9800 W m- 2 along the confined reach and was 2-3 times lower along the unconfined reach. Results from the DoD confirm that the confined reach was net erosional, exporting ~ 287,000 m3 of sediment whilst the unconfined reach was net depositional gaining ~ 209,000 m3 of sediment, 70% of the amount exported from the upstream, confined reach. The major sources of eroded sediment in the confined reach were within channel benches and macrochannel banks resulting in a significant increase of channel width. In the unconfined reach, the benches and floodplains were the major loci for deposition, whilst the inner channel exhibited minor width increases. The presence of high stream power values, and resultant high erosion rates, within the confined reach is a function of the higher energy gradient of the steeper channel that is associated with knickpoint development. Dramatic differences in geomorphic responses were observed between the two adjacent reaches of contrasting valley configuration. The confined reach experienced large-scale erosion and reorganisation of the channel morphology that resulted in significantly different areal representations of the five geomorphic features classified in this study.

Internal friction quality-factor Q under confining pressure. [of lunar rocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tittmann, B. R.; Ahlberg, L.; Nadler, H.; Curnow, J.; Smith, T.; Cohen, E. R.

1977-01-01

It has been found in previous studies that small amounts of adsorbed volatiles can have a profound effect on the internal friction quality-factor Q of rocks and other porous media. Pandit and Tozer (1970) have suggested that the laboratory-measured Q of volatile-free rocks should be similar to the in situ seismic Q values of near-surface lunar rocks which according to Latham et al. (1970) are in the range of 3000-5000. Observations of dramatic increases in Q with outgassing up to values approaching 2000 in the seismic frequency range confirm this supposition. Measurements under confining pressures with the sample encapsulated under hard vacuum are reported to aid in the interpretation of seismic data obtained below the lunar surface. It has been possible to achieve in the experiments Q values just under 2000 at about 1 kbar for a terrestrial analog of lunar basalt. It was found that a well-outgassed sample maintains a high Q whereas one exposed to moisture maintains a low Q as the confining pressure is raised to 2.5 kbar. This result suggests that volatiles can indeed affect Q when cracks are partially closed and the high lunar seismic Q values reported are concomitant with very dry rock down to depths of at least 50 km.

Fluorescent fluid interface position sensor

DOEpatents

Weiss, Jonathan D.

2004-02-17

A new fluid interface position sensor has been developed, which is capable of optically determining the location of an interface between an upper fluid and a lower fluid, the upper fluid having a larger refractive index than a lower fluid. The sensor functions by measurement, of fluorescence excited by an optical pump beam which is confined within a fluorescent waveguide where that waveguide is in optical contact with the lower fluid, but escapes from the fluorescent waveguide where that waveguide is in optical contact with the upper fluid.

Anorthosites and alkaline rocks from the deep crust of peninsular India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leelanandam, C.; Ratnakar, J.; Reddy, M. Narsimha

1988-01-01

The anorthosite and alkaline rock localities in the Precambrian Shield of Peninsular India were reviewed. There are approximately 50 localities of such rocks, generally restricted to the Eastern Ghats mobile belt. The alkaline plutons are typically confined to the margin of the Eastern Ghats. The anorthosites are all greater than 500 sq km, but many exhibit similarities to one another. It was suggested that the anorthosites are associated with cryptic sutures, and are thought to have originated as a result of ponding of basaltic magmas. An analogy was drawn between the Eastern Ghats belt and the Grenville Province of the Canadian Shield.

The giant Upper Yangtze Pb-Zn province in SW China: Reviews, new advances and a new genetic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jia-Xi; Xiang, Zhen-Zhong; Zhou, Mei-Fu; Feng, Yue-Xing; Luo, Kai; Huang, Zhi-Long; Wu, Tao

2018-04-01

In the western margin of the Yangtze Block, SW China, the Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) is spatially associated with >400 carbonate-hosted epigenetic Pb-Zn deposits. These deposits form the giant Upper Yangtze Pb-Zn metallogenic province with >20 Mt base metals. In the southeastern part of this province, the important Pb-Zn deposits include those of the Yinchangpo, Yunluhe, Maozhachang, Tianqiao, Banbanqiao, Mangdong, Shaojiwan, Liangyan, Qingshan, Shanshulin, Nayongzhi and Guanziyao deposits. Sulfide ore bodies in these deposits are (i) hosted in late Ediacaran to middle Permian limestone, dolomitic limestone and dolostone; (ii) structurally controlled by reverse fault-anticline tectonic systems; and (iii) spatially associated with the ELIP flood basalts and mafic dikes, and early Permian, early Carboniferous and early Cambrian organic matter-rich black shales. C-O isotopic compositions suggest that dolostone and limestone, mantle-derived rocks of the ELIP, and sedimentary organic matters supplied C-O to the hydrothermal systems through water/rock (W/R) interaction. New and existing S isotopic compositions of sulfides imply multiple sources of S and the reduction of sulfate through both abiotic thermochemical (TSR) and bacterially mediated (BSR) processes. Zn isotopes indicate that the sources of Zn were most likely related to the ELIP with various contributions from sediments and basements locally. Pb isotope signatures are suggestive of derivation of Pb from basements and sedimentary rocks with variable influences from the ELIP. Sr isotopes support that mantle-derived rocks, sediments and basements were involved in Pb-Zn mineralization, and they have various contributions in different deposits. We consider that the Pb-Zn deposits in the Upper Yangtze province are the mixed products of multiple S species-bearing solutions and metal-rich fluids, both of which were derived from, flowed through or interacted with multiple lithostratigraphic units in the western Yangtze Block. The change of tectonic regimes from extension to compression after eruption of basalts of the ELIP, and then to extension during Early Mesozoic, facilitated extraction, migration, and excretion of ore-forming metals and associated fluids. Mixing of fluids and reduction geochemical barrier activated TSR, causing cyclical carbonate dissolution, CO2 degassing and recrystallization (namely carbonate buffer). All these processes triggered continuous precipitation of huge amounts of hydrothermal minerals. Underplating and eruption of ELIP basalts provided heat flow, fluids and volatiles, whereas the basalts acted as an impermeable and protective layer, and even as ore-hosting rocks. These Pb-Zn deposits have spatial and genetic association with igneous activities of the ELIP, and are characterized by high ore grades (>10 wt% Pb + Zn), high concentrations of associated metals (e.g. Cu, Ag, Ge, and Cd), and medium-low temperatures (usually < 300 °C) and salinities (commonly < 20 wt% NaCl equiv.), all of which are significantly different from those of typical Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits. Hence, the carbonate-hosted epigenetic Pb-Zn deposits in the Upper Yangtze metallogenic province representing to a new type of Pb-Zn deposits that are hosted in platform carbonate sequences and formed within compressional zones of passive margin tectonic settings.

Summary of hydrologic testing of the Floridan aquifer system at Hunter Army Airfield, Chatham County, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Lester J.

2010-01-01

A 1,168-foot deep test well was completed at Hunter Army Airfield in the summer of 2009 to investigate the potential of using the Lower Floridan aquifer as a source of water supply to satisfy increased needs as a result of base expansion and increased troop levels. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted hydrologic testing at the test site including flowmeter surveys, packer-slug tests, and aquifer tests of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers. Flowmeter surveys were completed at different stages of well construction to determine the depth and yield of water-bearing zones and to identify confining beds that separate the main producing aquifers. During a survey when the borehole was open to both the upper and lower aquifers, five water-bearing zones in the Upper Floridan aquifer supplied 83.5 percent of the total pumpage, and five water-bearing zones in the Lower Floridan aquifer supplied the remaining 16.5 percent. An upward gradient was indicated from the ambient flowmeter survey: 7.6 gallons per minute of groundwater was detected entering the borehole between 750 and 1,069 feet below land surface, then moved upward, and exited the borehole into lower-head zones between 333 and 527 feet below land surface. During a survey of the completed Lower Floridan well, six distinct water-producing zones were identified; one 17-foot-thick zone at 768-785 feet below land surface yielded 47.9 percent of the total pumpage while the remaining five zones yielded between 2 and 15 percent each. The thickness and hydrologic properties of the confining unit separating the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers were determined from packer tests and flowmeter surveys. This confining unit, which is composed of rocks of Middle Eocene age, is approximately 160 feet thick with horizontal hydraulic conductivities determined from four slug tests to range from 0.2 to 3 feet per day. Results of two separate slug tests within the middle confining unit were both 2 feet per day. Aquifer testing indicated the Upper Floridan aquifer had a transmissivity of 40,000 feet squared per day, and the Lower Floridan aquifer had a transmissivity of 10,000 feet squared per day. An aquifer test conducted on the combined aquifer system, when the test well was open from 333 to 1,112 feet, gave a transmissivity of 50,000 feet squared per day. Additionally, during the 72-hour test of the Lower Floridan aquifer, a drawdown response was observed in the Upper Floridan aquifer wells.

Acoustic-televiewer and acoustic-waveform logs used to characterize deeply buried basalt flows, Hanford site, Benton County, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paillet, Frederick L.

1985-01-01

Acoustic-waveform and acoustic-televiewer logs were obtained for a 400-meter interval of deeply buried basalt flows in three boreholes, and over shorter intervals in two additional boreholes located on the U.S. Department of Energy 's Hanford site in Benton County, Washington. Borehole-wall breakouts were observed in the unaltered interiors of a large part of individual basalt flows; however, several of the flows in one of the five boreholes had almost no breakouts. The distribution of breakouts observed on the televiewer logs correlated closely with the incidence of core disking in some intervals, but the correlation was not always perfect, perhaps because of the differences in the specific fracture mechanisms involved. Borehole-wall breakouts were consistently located on the east and west sides of the boreholes. The orientation is consistent with previous estimates of the principal horizontal-stress field in south-central Washington, if breakouts are assumed to form along the azimuth of the least principal stress. The distribution of breakouts repeatedly indicated an interval of breakout-free rock at the top and bottom of flows. Because breakouts frequently terminate at major low-angle fractures, the data indicate that fracturing may have relieved some of the horizontal stresses near flow tops and bottoms. Unaltered and unfractured basalt appeared to have a uniform compressional velocity of 6.0 + or - 0.1 km/sec and a uniform shear velocity of 3.35 + or - 0.1 km/sec throughout flow interiors. Acoustics-waveform logs also indicated that borehole-wall breakouts did not affect acoustic propagation along the borehole; so fracturing associated with the formation of breakouts appeared to be confined to a thin annulus of stress concentration around the borehole. Televiewer logs obtained before and after hydraulic fracturing in these boreholes indicated the extent of induced fractures, and also indicated minor changes to pre-existing fractures that may have been inflated during fracture generation. (USGS)

Decoding the Margins: What Can the Fractal Geometry of Basaltic Flow Margins Tell Us?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, E. I.; Hamilton, C.; Neish, C.; Beard, S. P.; Bramson, A. M.; Sori, M.; Rader, E. L.

2016-12-01

Studying lava flows on other planetary bodies is essential to characterizing eruption styles and constraining the bodies' thermal evolution. Although planetary basaltic flows are common, many key features are not resolvable in orbital imagery. We are thus developing a technique to characterize basaltic flow type, sub-meter roughness, and sediment mantling from these data. We will present the results from upcoming fieldwork at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve with FINESSE (August) and at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (September). We build on earlier work that showed that basaltic flow margins are approximately fractal [Bruno et al., 1992; Gaonac'h et al., 1992] and that their fractal dimensions (D) have distinct `a`ā and pāhoehoe ranges under simple conditions [Bruno et al., 1994]. Using a differential GPS rover, we have recently shown that the margin of Iceland's 2014 Holuhraun flow exhibits near-perfect (R2=0.9998) fractality for ≥24 km across dm to km scales [Schaefer et al., 2016]. This finding suggests that a fractal-based technique has significant potential to characterize flows at sub-resolution scales. We are simultaneously seeking to understand how margin fractality can be modified. A preliminary result for an `a'ā flow in Hawaii's Ka'ū Desert suggests that although aeolian mantling obscures the original flow margin, the apparent margin (i.e., sediment-lava interface) remains fractal [Schaefer et al., 2015]. Further, the apparent margin's D is likely significantly modified from that of the original margin. Other factors that we are exploring include erosion, transitional flow types, and topographic confinement. We will also rigorously test the intriguing possibility that margin D correlates with the sub-meter Hurst exponent H of the flow surface, a common metric of roughness scaling [e.g., Shepard et al., 2001]. This hypothesis is based on geometric arguments [Turcotte, 1997] and is qualitatively consistent with all results so far.

Pervasive Layering in the Lunar Highland Crust: Evidence from Apollos 15, 16,and 17

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowman, Paul D., Jr.; Yang, Tiffany

2005-01-01

This paper presents results of a photogeologic reconnaissance of 70 mm photographs taken on the lunar surface during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions, whose primary objective was to investigate the lunar highland crust. Photographs at all three sites, notably the Apennine Front, show pervasive layered structure. These layers are easily distinguished from lighting artifacts, and are considered genuine crustal structures. Their number, thickness, and extent implies that they are lava flows, not ejecta blankets or intrusive features. They appear to be the upper part of the earliest lunar crust, possibly forming a layer tens of kilometers thick. Remote sensing studies (X-ray fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy), indicate that the highland crust is dominantly a feldspathic basalt. It is concluded that the highland layers represent a global crust formed by eruptions of high-alumina basalt in the first few hundred million years of the Moon's history.

Late Holocene hydrous mafic magmatism at the Paint Pot Crater and Callahan flows, Medicine Lake Volcano, N. California and the influence of H2O in the generation of silicic magmas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinzler, R.J.; Donnelly-Nolan, J. M.; Grove, T.L.

2000-01-01

This paper characterizes late Holocene basalts and basaltic andesites at Medicine Lake volcano that contain high pre-eruptive H2O contents inherited from a subduction related hydrous component in the mantle. The basaltic andesite of Paint Pot Crater and the compositionally zoned basaltic to andesitic lavas of the Callahan flow erupted approximately 1000 14C years Before Present (14C years B.P.). Petrologic, geochemical and isotopic evidence indicates that this late Holocene mafic magmatism was characterized by H2O contents of 3 to 6 wt% H2O and elevated abundances of large ion lithophile elements (LILE). These hydrous mafic inputs contrast with the preceding episodes of mafic magmatism (from 10,600 to ~3000 14C years B.P.) that was characterized by the eruption of primitive high alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT) with low H2O (< 0.2 wt%), lower LILE abundance and different isotopic characteristics. Thus, the mantle-derived inputs into the Medicine Lake system have not always been low H2O, primitive HAOT, but have alternated between HAOT and hydrous subduction related, calc-alkaline basalt. This influx of hydrous mafic magma coincides temporally and spatially with rhyolite eruption at Glass Mountain and Little Glass Mountain. The rhyolites contain quenched magmatic inclusions similar in character to the mafic lavas at Callahan and Paint Pot Crater. The influence of H2O on fractional crystallization of hydrous mafic magma and melting of pre-existing granite crust beneath the volcano combined to produce the rhyolite. Fractionation under hydrous conditions at upper crustal pressures leads to the early crystallization of Fe-Mg silicates and the suppression of plagioclase as an early crystallizing phase. In addition, H2O lowers the saturation temperature of Fe and Mg silicates, and brings the temperature of oxide crystallization closer to the liquidus. These combined effects generate SiO2-enrichment that leads to rhyodacitic differentiated lavas. In contrast, low H2O HAOT magmas at Medicine Lake differentiate to iron-rich basaltic liquids. When these Fe-enriched basalts mix with melted granitic crust, the result is an andesitic magma. Since mid-Holocene time, mafic volcanism has been dominated primarily by hydrous basaltic andesite and andesite at Medicine Lake Volcano. However, during the late Holocene, H2O-poor mafic magmas continued to be erupted along with hydrous mafic magmas, although in significantly smaller volumes.

Controls on melting at spreading ridges from correlated abyssal peridotite - mid-ocean ridge basalt compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regelous, Marcel; Weinzierl, Christoph G.; Haase, Karsten M.

2016-09-01

Variations in the volume and major element composition of basalt erupted along the global mid-ocean ridge system have been attributed to differences in mantle potential temperature, mantle composition, or plate spreading rate and lithosphere thickness. Abyssal peridotites, the residues of mantle melting beneath mid-ocean ridges, provide additional information on the melting process, which could be used to test these hypotheses. We compiled a global database of abyssal peridotite compositions averaged over the same ridge segments defined by Gale et al. (2013). In addition, we calculated the distance of each ridge segment to the nearest hotspots. We show that Cr# in spinel in abyssal peridotites is negatively correlated with Na90 in basalts from the same ridge segments on a global scale. Ridge segments that erupt basalts apparently produced by larger degrees of mantle melting are thus underlain by peridotites from which large amounts of melt have been extracted. We find that near-ridge hotspots have a more widespread influence on mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) composition and ridge depth than previously thought. However, when these hotspot-influenced ridge segments are excluded, the remaining segments show clear relationships between MORB composition, peridotite composition, and ridge depth with spreading rate. Very slow-spreading ridges (<20 mm/yr) are deeper, erupt basalts with higher Na90, Al90, K90/Ti90, and lower Fe90, Ca90/Al90, and expose peridotites with lower Cr# than intermediate and fast-spreading ridges. We show that away from hotspots, the spreading-rate dependence of the maximum degree of mantle melting inferred from Cr# in peridotites (FM) and the bulk degree of melting inferred from Na90 in basalts (FB) from the same ridge segments is unlikely to be due to variations in mantle composition. Nor can the effects of dynamic mantle upwelling or incomplete melt extraction at low spreading rates satisfactorily explain the observed compositions of abyssal peridotites and MORB from very slow-spreading ridges. Instead, the distinctive compositions of abyssal peridotites and MORB from very slow-spreading ridges could result from the presence of a thick lithospheric lid, leading to a lower average degree of melting, and a higher contribution to melting from more fertile mantle lithologies. Alternatively, spreading rate influences the thermal structure of the upper mantle such that the mantle beneath very slow-spreading ridges is cooler.

The role of water in the petrogenesis of Marina trough magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolper, Edward; Newman, Sally

1994-02-01

Most variations in composition among primitive basalts from the Mariana back-arc trough can be explained by melting mixtures of an N-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (NMORB) mantle source and an H2O rich component, provided the degree of melting is positively and approximately linearly correlated with the proportion of the H2O-rich component in the mixture. We conclude that the degrees of melting by which Mariana trough magmas are generated increase from magmas similar to NMORB, through more H2O-enriched basalts, to 'arc-like' basalts, and that this increase is due to the lowering of the solidus of mantle peridotite that accompanies addition of the H2O-rich component. The H2O-rich component is likely to be ultimately derived from fluid from a subducting slab, but we propose that by the time fluids reach the source regions of Mariana trough basalts, they have interacted with sufficient mantle material that for all but the most incompatible of elements (with respect to fluid-mantle interaction), they are in equilibrium with the mantle. In contrast, fluids added to the source regions of Mariana island-arc magmas have typically interacted with less mantle and thus retain the signature of slab-derived fluids to varying degrees for all but the most compatible elements. Primitive Mariana arc basalts can be generated by melting mixtures of such incompletely exchanged slab-derived fluids and sources similar to NMORB-type mantle sources, but the degrees of melting are typically higher than those of Mariana trough NMORB and the sources have been variably depleted relative to the back-arc sources by previous melt extraction. This depletion may be related to earlier extraction of back-arc basin magmas or may evolve by repeated fluxing of the sources as fluid is continually added to them in the regions of arc magma generation. If fluid with partitioning behavior relative to the solid mantle similar to that deduced for the H2O-rich component involved in the generation of Mariana trough basalts were extracted from primitive mantle, the residual mantle would have many of the minor and trace element characteristics of typical oceanic upper mantle; primitive mantle enriched in such fluid would be a satisfactory source for the continental crust in terms of its trace and minor element chemical composition.

Demolition of Munitions Storage Area Facilities. Right Size Project 10-0192C

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

area of the Proposed Action. 3.4.2 Affected Environment Fairchild AFB is situated within the channeled scablands of the Columbia River Basin which...grebe, great blue heron, turkey vulture, Caspian tern , black tern , and osprey. The white-tailed jackrabbit, a state candidate species, is known to...Geography The MSA is located in the Upper Columbia River Basin Basalt Geomorphic Province and lies within the Latah Creek watershed. The landtype is

Geology, age, and tectonic setting of the Cretaceous Sliderock Mountain Volcano, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Du Bray, E.A.; Harlan, Stephen S.

1998-01-01

The Sliderock Mountain stratovolcano, part of the Upper Cretaceous continental magmatic arc in southwestern Montana, consists of volcaniclastic strata and basaltic andesite lava flows. An intrusive complex represents the volcano's solidified magma chamber. Compositional diversity within components of the volcano appears to reflect evolution via about 50 percent fractional crystallization involving clinopyroxene and plagioclase. 40Ar/39Ar indicate that the volcano was active about 78?1 Ma.

Summary of hydrologic testing of the Floridan aquifer system at Fort Stewart, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonthier, Gerard

2011-01-01

Flowmeter surveys at the study site indicate several permeable zones within the Floridan aquifer system. The Upper Floridan aquifer is composed of two water-bearing zones-the upper zone and the lower zone. The upper zone extends from 520 to 650 feet below land surface, contributes 96 percent of the total flow, and is more permeable than the lower zone, which extends from 650 to 705 feet below land surface and contributes the remaining 4 percent of the flow. The Lower Floridan aquifer consists of three zones at depths of 912-947, 1,090-1,139, and 1,211-1,250 feet below land surface that are inter-layered with three less-permeable zones. The Lower Floridan confining unit includes a permeable zone that extends from 793 to 822 feet below land surface. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity values of the Lower Floridan confining unit derived from slug tests within four packer-isolated intervals were from 2 to 20 feet per day, with a high value of 70 feet per day obtained for one of the intervals. Aquifer testing, using analytical techniques and model simulation, indicated the Upper Floridan aquifer had a transmissivity of about 100,000 feet squared per day, and the Lower Floridan aquifer had a transmissivity of 7,000 feet squared per day. Flowmeter surveys, slug tests within packer-isolated intervals, and parameter-estimation results indicate that the hydraulic properties of the Lower Floridan confining unit are similar to those of the Lower Floridan aquifer. Water-level data, for each aquifer test, were filtered for external influences such as barometric pressure, earth-tide effects, and long-term trends to enable detection of small water-level responses to aquifer-test pumping of less than 1 foot. During a 72-hour aquifer test of the Lower Floridan aquifer, a drawdown response of 0.3 to 0.4 foot was observed in two Upper Floridan aquifer wells, one of which was more than 1 mile away from the pumped well.

Comparative K-Ar and Ar/Ar dating of Ethiopian and Yemenite Oligocene volcanism: implications for timing and duration of the Ethiopian traps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulié, E.; Quidelleur, X.; Gillot, P.-Y.; Courtillot, V.; Lefèvre, J.-C.; Chiesa, S.

2003-02-01

It is now generally accepted that continental flood basalt (CFB) volcanism bears a strong relationship with continental breakup. The Ethiopian Afar plume has been linked to the opening of the Afar depression. Propagation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts within the depression, still an ongoing process, has rifted away the Ethiopian and Yemenite trap sequences. They are in some locations more than 2 km thick and comprise a wide range of volcanic products, from tholeiitic basalts, in the lower part, to more acidic material in the upper part. Recent studies have established that the bulk of trap volcanism erupted about 30 Ma ago over a period of 1 Myr in the Ethiopian sections, while ages obtained on the Yemenite sections seem more distributed through time. Here, for the first time in a single study, we present geochronological results obtained for basalts and more evolved products for both Ethiopian and Yemenite traps. This approach eliminates inter-laboratory biases and discrepancies in the ages of standards, and imposes better constraints on the eruptive chronology of this CFB province. In addition, both the K-Ar and 40Ar/ 39Ar techniques have been applied simultaneously, in order to demonstrate that similar ages are indeed obtained for undisturbed samples. The two dating techniques used here yield concordant ages for most samples. On both sides of the Afar depression, our results support that the onset of basaltic volcanism is coeval, with undistinguishable ages of 30.6±0.4 and 30.2±0.4 Ma obtained from Ethiopia and Yemen, respectively. Most of the basaltic lava pile has been erupted in less than 1 Myr, but acidic volcanism seems more spread out through time. It is coeval with basalts in northern Ethiopia but extends to about 26 Ma in Yemen, as already recognized. A younger rhyolitic episode, probably related to the major 20 Ma phase of opening of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as expressed in the Afar depression, is also observed in Yemen and central Ethiopia.

Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf Isotopic Compositions of Late Cenozoic Alkali Basalts in South Korea: Evidence for Mixing Between the Two Dominant Asthenospheric Mantle Domains beneath East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, S.; Mukasa, S. B.; Kwon, S.; Andronikov, A. V.

2004-12-01

We determined the Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic compositions of late Cenozoic basaltic rocks from six lava-field provinces in South Korea, including Baengnyeong Island, Jogokni, Ganseong area, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dog Island, in order to understand the nature of the mantle source. The basalts have OIB-like trace element abundance patterns, and also contain mantle-derived xenoliths. Available isotope data of late Cenozoic basalts from East Asia, along with ours, show that the mantle source has a DMM-EM1 array for northeast China and a DMM-EM2 array for Southeast Asia. We note that the basalts falling on an array between DMM and an intermediate end member between EM1 and EM2, are located between the two large-scale isotopic provinces, i.e., around the eastern part of South Korea. The most intriguing observation on the isotopic correlation diagrams is spatial variation from predominantly EM2 signatures in the basaltic lavas toward increasingly important addition of EM1, starting from Jeju Island to Ulleung and Dog Islands to Ganseong area, and to Baengnyeong Island. This is without any corresponding changes in the basement and the lithospheric mantle beneath the region. These observations suggest that the asthenospheric mantle source is dominant for the Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in East Asia, which is characterized by two distinct, large-scale domains. Previous studies on East Asian Cenozoic volcanic rocks have invoked origins by either plume activity or decompressional melting in a rift environment. On the basis of our new trace element and isotopic compositions which have OIB-like characteristics, we prefer a plume origin for these lavas. However, because tomographic images do not show distinct thermal anomaly that would be interpreted as a plume, we suggest that the magmatism might be the product of small, difficult to image multiple plumes that tapped the shallow part of the asthenosphere (probably the transition zone in the upper mantle).

Numerical simulations of hydrothermal circulation resulting from basalt intrusions in a buried spreading center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, A.T.; Narasimhan, T.N.

1991-01-01

A two-dimensional, one by two-kilometer section through the seafloor was simulated with a numerical model to investigate coupled fluid and heat flow resulting from basalt intrusions in a buried spreading center. Boundary and initial conditions and physical properties of both sediments and basalt were constrained by field surveys and drilling in the Guaymas Basin, central Gulf of California. Parametric variations in these studies included sediment and basalt permeability, anisotropy in sediment permeability, and the size of heat sources. Faults were introduced through new intrusions both before and after cooling.Background heat input caused fluid convection at velocities ≤ 3 cm a−1 through shallow sediments. Eighty to ninety percent of the heat introduced at the base of the simulations exited through the upper, horizontal surface, even when the vertical boundaries were made permeable to fluid flow. The simulated injection of a 25–50 m thick basalt intrusion at a depth of 250 m resulted in about 10 yr of pore-fluid expulsion through the sea-floor in all cases, leaving the sediments above the intrusions strongly underpressured. A longer period of fluid recharge followed, sometimes accompanied by reductions in total seafloor heat output of 10% in comparison to pre-intrusion values. Additional discharge-recharge events were dispersed chaotically through the duration of the cooling period. These cycles in heat and fluid flow resulted from the response of the simulated system to a thermodynamic shock, the sudden emplacement of a large heat source, and not from mechanical displacement of sediments and pore fluids, which was not simulated.Water/rock mass ratios calculated from numerical simulations are in good agreement with geochemical estimates from materials recovered from the Guaymas Basin, assuming a bulk basalt permeability value of at least 10−17 m2/(10−2 mD). The addition of faults through intrusions and sediments in these simulations did not facilitate continuous, rapid venting. Increased heat input at the base of the faults resulted in temporarily greater fluid discharge, but the flow could not be sustained because the modeled system could not recharge cold fluid quickly enough to remove sufficient heat through the vents.

A possible connection between post-subduction arc magmatism and adakite-NEB rock association in Baja California, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, P. R.

2007-05-01

Late Miocene to Recent arc-related magmatism occurs in Baja California, Mexico despite the cessation of plate subduction along its western margin at ~12.5 Ma. It includes calcalkaline and K-rich andesites, tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites, alkalic basalts similar to many ocean island basalts (OIB), magnesian and basaltic andesites with adakitic affinity (bajaiites), adakites, and Nb-enriched basalts (NEB). A popular model for the close spatial and temporal association of adakite (plus bajaiite) and NEB in Baja California is these are due to melting of the subducted Farallon/Cocos plate, which in turn is caused by the influx of hot asthenospheric mantle through a window created in the subducted slab directly beneath the Baja California peninsula [e.g., Benoit, M. et. al. (2002) J. Geol. 110, 627-648; Calmus, T. et al. (2003) Lithos 66, 77-105]. Here I propose an alternative model for the cause of post-subduction magmatism in Baja California in particular and origin of adakite-NEB rock association in general. The complicated tectonic configuration of the subducting Farallon/Cocos plate and westward motion of the North American continent caused western Mexico to override the hot, upwelling Pacific mantle that was decoupled from the spreading centers abandoned west of Baja California. The upwelling asthenosphere is best manifested east of the peninsula, beneath the Gulf of California, and is most probably due to a tear or window in the subducted slab there. The upwelling asthenosphere is compositionally heterogeneous and sends materials westward into the mantle wedge beneath the peninsula. These materials provide sources for post-subduction tholeiitic and alkalic magmas. Portions of tholeiitic magmas directly erupted at the surface produce tholeiitic lavas, but some get ponded beneath the crust. Re-melting and/or high-pressure fractional crystallization of the ponded tholeiitic magmas generate adakitic rocks. Alkalic magmas directly erupted at the surface produce OIB-like lavas but those that get contaminated during transit produce NEB. The influx of asthenosphere also provides thermal energy to melt the upper portion of the mantle wedge - producing calc- alkaline lavas, and the amphibolitized deeper portion of the wedge - producing bajaiites, after the cessation of subduction in Baja California.

Assessment of ambient background concentrations of elements in soil using combined survey and open-source data.

PubMed

Mikkonen, Hannah G; Clarke, Bradley O; Dasika, Raghava; Wallis, Christian J; Reichman, Suzie M

2017-02-15

Understanding ambient background concentrations in soil, at a local scale, is an essential part of environmental risk assessment. Where high resolution geochemical soil surveys have not been undertaken, soil data from alternative sources, such as environmental site assessment reports, can be used to support an understanding of ambient background conditions. Concentrations of metals/metalloids (As, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were extracted from open-source environmental site assessment reports, for soils derived from the Newer Volcanics basalt, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. A manual screening method was applied to remove samples that were indicated to be contaminated by point sources and hence not representative of ambient background conditions. The manual screening approach was validated by comparison to data from a targeted background soil survey. Statistical methods for exclusion of contaminated samples from background soil datasets were compared to the manual screening method. The statistical methods tested included the Median plus Two Median Absolute Deviations, the upper whisker of a normal and log transformed Tukey boxplot, the point of inflection on a cumulative frequency plot and the 95th percentile. We have demonstrated that where anomalous sample results cannot be screened using site information, the Median plus Two Median Absolute Deviations is a conservative method for derivation of ambient background upper concentration limits (i.e. expected maximums). The upper whisker of a boxplot and the point of inflection on a cumulative frequency plot, were also considered adequate methods for deriving ambient background upper concentration limits, where the percentage of contaminated samples is <25%. Median ambient background concentrations of metals/metalloids in the Newer Volcanic soils of Melbourne were comparable to ambient background concentrations in Europe and the United States, except for Ni, which was naturally enriched in the basalt-derived soils of Melbourne. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Basaltic maar-diatreme volcanism in the Lower Carboniferous of the Limerick Basin (SW Ireland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, H. A. L.; Gernon, T. M.; Roberts, S.; Hewson, C.

2015-05-01

Lead-zinc exploration drilling within the Limerick Basin (SW Ireland) has revealed the deep internal architecture and extra-crater deposits of five alkali-basaltic maar-diatremes. These were emplaced as part of a regional north-east south-west tectonomagmatic trend during the Lower Carboniferous Period. Field relationships and textural observations suggest that the diatremes erupted into a shallow submarine environment. Limerick trace element data indicates a genetic relationship between the diatremes and extra-crater successions of the Knockroe Formation, which records multiple diatreme filling and emptying cycles. Deposition was controlled largely by bathymetry defined by the surrounding Waulsortian carbonate mounds. An initial non-diatreme forming eruption stage occurred at the water-sediment interface, with magma-water interaction prevented by high magma ascent rates. This was followed by seawater incursion and the onset of phreatomagmatic activity. Magma-water interaction generated poorly vesicular blocky clasts, although the co-occurrence of plastically deformed and highly vesicular clasts indicate that phreatomagmatic and magmatic processes were not mutually exclusive. At a later stage, the diatreme filled with a slurry of juvenile lapilli and country rock lithic clasts, homogenised by the action of debris jets. The resulting extra-crater deposits eventually emerged above sea level, so that water ingress significantly declined, and late-stage magmatic processes became dominant. These deposits, largely confined to the deep vents, incorporate high concentrations of partially sintered globular and large `raggy' lapilli showing evidence for heat retention. Our study provides new insights into the dynamics and evolution of basaltic diatremes erupting into a shallow water (20-120 m) submarine environment.

Age and tectonic setting of the Mesozoic McCoy Mountains Formation in western Arizona, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spencer, J.E.; Richard, S.M.; Gehrels, G.E.; Gleason, J.D.; Dickinson, W.R.

2011-01-01

The McCoy Mountains Formation consists of Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate exposed in an east-west-trending belt in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. At least three different tectonic settings have been proposed for McCoy deposition, and multiple tectonic settings are likely over the ~80 m.y. age range of deposition. U-Pb isotopic analysis of 396 zircon sand grains from at or near the top of McCoy sections in the southern Little Harquahala, Granite Wash, New Water, and southern Plomosa Mountains, all in western Arizona, identifi ed only Jurassic or older zircons. A basaltic lava fl ow near the top of the section in the New Water Mountains yielded a U-Pb zircon date of 154.4 ?? 2.1 Ma. Geochemically similar lava fl ows and sills in the Granite Wash and southern Plomosa Mountains are inferred to be approximately the same age. We interpret these new analyses to indicate that Mesozoic clastic strata in these areas are Upper Jurassic and are broadly correlative with the lowermost McCoy Mountains Formation in the Dome Rock, McCoy, and Palen Mountains farther west. Six samples of numerous Upper Jurassic basaltic sills and lava fl ows in the McCoy Mountains Formation in the Granite Wash, New Water, and southern Plomosa Mountains yielded initial ??Nd values (at t = 150 Ma) of between +4 and +6. The geochemistry and geochronology of this igneous suite, and detrital-zircon geochronology of the sandstones, support the interpretation that the lower McCoy Mountains Formation was deposited during rifting within the western extension of the Sabinas-Chihuahua-Bisbee rift belt. Abundant 190-240 Ma zircon sand grains were derived from nearby, unidentifi ed Triassic magmatic-arc rocks in areas that were unaffected by younger Jurassic magmatism. A sandstone from the upper McCoy Mountains Formation in the Dome Rock Mountains (Arizona) yielded numerous 80-108 Ma zircon grains and almost no 190-240 Ma grains, revealing a major reorganization in sediment-dispersal pathways and/or modifi cation of source rocks that had occurred by ca. 80 Ma. ?? 2011 Geological Society of America.

Evidence for intense hydrothermal alteration associated with flood basalt volcanism during the birth of the Azores Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bach, W.; Busch, A.; Genske, F. S.; Beier, C.; Krumm, S.

2017-12-01

A stratigraphic section comprising >1000 m of upper crust in the Princess Alice Bank (PAB) of the western Azores Plateau was sampled during RV Meteor cruise M128 in July of 2016, using the ROV MARUM Quest 4000m. Twenty-two samples were recovered between 2484 and 1439 m water depth from the southfacing footwall of the Master fault bounding a prominent NW-SE striking rift zone within the PAB. Our geochemical and petrographic results show that virtually all samples are pervasively altered. The deeper part of the section (up to 1750 m water depth) was altered under greenschist-facies conditions to assemblages that include epidote, chlorite, albite, titanite, and actinolite. These rocks show 87Sr/86Sr values between 0.7036 and 0.7050. The topmost section was altered under lower metamorphic grades to chlorite/smectite-quartz-anatase. These rocks show severe losses of Ca and Sr, and gains in Mg, Li, and B, with 87Sr/86Sr ratios as high as 0.708. These geochemical signatures indicate an intensity of hydrothermal exchange between seawater and crust that is unmatched by any in situ section of upper ocean crust sampled by ocean drilling to date. Oxygen isotope data for epidote-calcite veins indicate temperatures of 250-300°C. Later quartz gives about 200°C. The implications of the intense hydrothermal alteration for crust-seawater exchange budgets can be evaluated in the light of the geological evolution of the PAB. Based on immobile element ratios of whole rocks and REE characteristics of relict clinopyroxene in the only incompletely altered sample, an E-type MORB primary composition of the basalts can be reconstructed. Our data suggest that the degrees of mantle melting were much higher than during extrusion of the <4 Ma old alkali-basalts recovered from the top of PAB (Beier et al., 2015, doi:10.1130/2015.2511(02)), and even higher than modern MORB at the adjacent mid-Atlantic Ridge. These results lead us to suggest that the deeper sections of the PAB formed during the initial stages of flood basalt activity. The extreme hydrothermal alteration may hence be directly linked to the prolonged magmatic period during which excess melting produced a 13-km thick igneous crust. Our results indicate that marine plateau-forming events may cause transient highs in hydrothermal flux rates.

Material composition of the basalt-trachyte series of the early Devonian of the Saralin graben-rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinev, O. M.; Grinev, R. O.; Bogorodov, A. A.; Adylbaev, R. R.

2017-12-01

The article clarifies the structural-tectonic position of the Saralin graben. It is determined that, along with the Balyksinsky graben located to the south and the Goryachegorsky volcanic plateau to the north, they are the connecting structural links between the Kuznetsk-Alatau alkaline province and the adjacent Minusinsk trough. In the early Devonian, the alkaline province was formed as a vaulted-block structure (the “shoulder” of the rift), and the Minusinsk deflection as a depression with the dominant volcanism in it. The boundary between these positive and negative structures was the deep Balyksinsko-Saralinsky fault. In the stratigraphic section of the graben, the lower molassoid part (Ustkundustylskaya stratum), the middle trachybasaltoid stratum (Bazarskay) and the upper problematic Ashpanian stratum are distinguished. In addition to analcime basalts, a large extrusive-subvolcanic dome-shaped construction of trachytes is considered. By petrographic and material composition, volcanites of graben are represented by the dominant basalt-trachyte series in the composition of basanites, trachybasalts, trachyandesites, trachytes. The rocks of the basalt-andesibasalt-andesite series are limited. Foidites are rare. Geochemical data indicate the genetic relationship of the volcanics of the studied series. Geochemically, they are clearly specialized in Sc, Ti, Zn, Zr, Th, U, Mn and P. According to the content of some of these elements, the rocks may have an industrial potential. In geodynamic and genetic plans, graben and its volcanics were formed during plume-tectonic processes involving mantle plume, enriched mantle, and recycling processes of these formations with the substance of the consolidated PR-PZ1 cortex.

The Balmer basin - Regional geology and geochemistry of an ancient lunar impact basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, T. A.; Andre, C. G.

1982-01-01

Photogeologic, geochemical and geophysical information is cited to support the contention that an ancient multi-ringed basin exists in the east limb region of the moon, centered at 15 deg S and 70 deg E. The inner ring of the basin, with a diameter of 225 km, is composed of isolated rugged mountains of pre-Nectarian terra; the less distinct outer ring, whose diameter is approximately 450 km, is made up of irregular segments of surrounding large craters. It is noted that two units of light plains material occur in this area and that they are confined for the most part to the region within the proposed outer basin ring. According to orbital geochemical data, the younger unit (Imbrian age plains) consists of a mare basalt not unlike others of the nearside. This unit possesses high Mg/Al concentration ratios as determined from X-ray fluorescence data; it is also relatively high in Th and Fe when compared with the surrounding highlands. It is thought that the relatively high albedo of the Balmer plains may derive from either a reworking by numerous secondary craters from the surrounding impacts or a basaltic composition with higher albedo and lower Fe than the nearside maria.

Reconstructing western Grand Canyon's lava dams and their failure mechanisms: new insights from geochemical correlation and 40Ar/39Ar dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, R.; Karlstrom, K. E.; McIntosh, W. C.; Peters, L.; Dunbar, N. W.

2010-12-01

New geochemical analyzes and 40Ar/39Ar dating of lava dam remnants allows for the more accurate reconstruction of the timing, extent, and structure of western Grand Canyon’s lava dams. Whole-rock major, trace, and rare-earth element (REE) analyzes on over 60 basaltic lava dam remnants, cascades, plugs, and basaltic alluvium, show compositional variation from basanites to alkali basalts to tholeiites. Whitmore Canyon flows, for example, are some of the only tholeiitic flows and have a distinguishable trace and REE composition, which allows for correlation of dam remnants. Over 30 new high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dates also aid in remnant correlation and establish a better-constrained sequence of intra-canyon lava dams. Reliable 40Ar/39Ar dates on western Grand Canyon’s intra-canyon basalts range from ca. 100 ka to 840 ka (new date). The best understood lava dam formed from tholeiitic flows that erupted on the north rim, flowed down Whitmore side canyon and blocked a 6-km-long reach of the Grand Canyon. The youngest of these flows is unique because we know its age (200ka), its composition (tholeiitic), and the exact area where it entered Grand Canyon. The highest flow in the resulting dam, Whitmore Cascade, is capped with very coarse basaltic alluvium that previous workers have attributed to an upstream catastrophic dam failure event at about 200 ka. However, strong similarities between the geochemistry and age of the alluvium with the underlying Whitmore Cascade flow suggest that the alluvial deposit is related to failure of the 200 ka Whitmore Cascade dam itself. Similarly the 100 ka Upper Gray Ledge flow is commonly overlain by a balsaltic alluvium that is indistinguishable in terms of age and geochemistry from the underlying Upper Gray Ledge flow. These observations lead to a new model for Grand Canyon lava dams by which lava dams undergo multi-staged failure where the upstream parts of dams fail quickly (sometimes catastrophically) but downstream parts are longer lived because they undergo less interaction with river water and fracturing and generally fill dry portions of the river bed. Identification of far-traveled clasts on top of lava dam remnants in at least two locations supports the idea that the stable Colorado River established itself on top of the distal parts of some lava dams. Thus, whereas previous workers reported that deposits from outburst flood dam failure events exist in western grand canyon, our data identify specific dam failures and an interaction of catastrophic events at the head of lava dams and modified fluvial processes in distal portions of dams.

Lithologic interpretation of the De Braga No. 2 and Richard Weishaupt No. 1 geothermal wells, Stillwater project, Churchill County, Nevada

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

Sibbett, B.S.; Blackett, R.E.

1982-02-01

Lithologies penetrated throughout the upper 732 to 838 m (2400 to 2750 ft) within the Stillwater prospect area are terrigenous sediments of Pleistocene to Recent age. A sill of dacite to andesite composition with a thickness variable between 122 to 208 m (400 to 680 ft) is present below the terrigenous sediments. Between the base of the sill and the top of the Bunejug Formation are intercalated volcanic and sedimentary rocks. All formations overlying the Bunejug Formation are probably of Pleistocene age. The basalt and basaltic-andesite flows and ash below the depth of approximately 1128 m (3700 ft) are hereinmore » assigned to the Bunejug Formation (Morrison, 1964) of Pliocene and possibly early Pleistocene age. The Bunejug Formation is a thick sequence of basalt to andesite flows and hyaloclastite exposed in the mountains surrounding the south half of the Carson Desert. The De Braga No. 2 well bottomed in Bunejug volcanics at a depth of 2109 m (6920 ft). The Richard Weishaupt No. 1 well penetrated the entire Bunejug sequence and entered felsic volcanics and tuffaceous sediments, which possibly represent part of the Truckee Formation, at a depth of approximately 2412 m (7915 ft).« less

The Mineralogy of the Youngest Lunar Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staid, M. I.; Pieters, C. M.

1999-01-01

The last stage of lunar volcanism produced spectrally distinct basalts on the western nearside of the Moon, which remain unsampled by landing missions. The spectral properties of these late-stage basalts are examined using high-spatial-resolution Clementine images to constrain their mineralogic composition. The young high-Ti basalts in the western Procellarum and Imbrium Basins display a significantly stronger ferrous absorption than earlier mare basalts, suggesting that they may be the most Fe-rich deposits on the Moon. The distinct long-wavelength shape of this ferrous absorption is found to be similar for surface soils and materials excavated from depth. The pervasive character of this absorption feature supports the interpretation of abundant olivine within these late-stage lunar deposits. Important distinctions exist between the early-stage eastern maria and the late-stage western basalts, even though both appear to be Ti-rich. For example, the western maria are more radiogenic than eastern deposits. Telescopic spectra of the high-Ti western maria also exhibit a unique combination of a strong 1 micron feature and a relatively weak or attenuated 2-micron absorption. Pieters et al. concluded that the unusual strength and shape of the 1-micron absorption in western basalts results from an additional absorption from abundant olivine and/or Fe-bearing glass. Either mineralogy could produce the strong long wavelength 1-micron band, but a glassy Fe-rich surface could only form by rapid cooling along the exterior surfaces of flows. Clementine UV-VIS data of late-stage basalts are examined for regions in Oceanus Procellarum and Mare Imbrium. The spectral properties of western regions are compared to the sampled Apollo 11 basalts in Mare Tranquillitatis, which contain similar albedos and UV-VIS spectral properties. For reference, the western basalts are also compared to the low-Ti and Fe-rich basalts in Mare Serenitatis (mISP). Serenitatis basalts have the strongest mafic absorption of any eastern nearside maria in Clementine imagery. Unlike previous Earth-based and Galileo imagery, Clementine data resolve the spectral properties of immature crater deposits small enough to sample individual volcanic flows. A strategy has been developed to reevaluate lunar basalt types using Clementine imagery of such fresh mare craters and their associated soils. To allow direct comparisons between regions, scatter plots of useful spectral parameters were constructed by sampling a fixed number of evenly spaced pixels from each mare region. Scatter plots comparing the mare study areas are shown. Since mature soils dominate the surfaces exposed, the density distribution of each data cloud has been presented after a root stretch to enhance the visibility of the less-abundant immature materials. Five-color spectra were also collected for all fresh craters within each mare region and grouped according to size. The UV-VIS ratio has been used extensively to estimate Ti in mature soils and plots of this parameter against 0.75-micron reflectance are included for each mare region. The UV-VIS ratio coupled with the 0.75-micron parameter has been applied more recently to estimate Ti content across many lunar materials. High-Ti basalts plot in the upper left portion because of their low-albedo and high-UV-VIS ratio values. Clementine UV-VIS ratio values for the Procellarum HDSA unit are similar to, but slightly lower than, HDWA Apollo 11 basalts. These values are consistent with previous evaluations of the western high Ti basalts using telescopic and Apollo gamma-ray data, which suggest only a minor difference in TiO, contents between these mare deposits. The Imbrium hDSA and Serenitatis mISP basalts are seen to be progressively less dark and blue, consistent with the previously noted decreasing amount of weight percent TiO2. The scatter plot captures the micron absorption strength and albedo of large areas for each study region over a range of optical maturities. This scatter plot allows trends related to maturity to be evaluated. Materials whose soil surfaces have not achieved optical maturity are slightly brighter and display a stronger ferrous band. For each basalt type, the result is a roughly parallel range of values for these spectral parameters forming a distinct "weathering cloud" of data. The western HDSA and hDSA basalts, show a much stronger mafic ratio than the Tranquillitatis basalts for both mature soils and immature crater materials. Despite a higher abundance of opaques (which should subdue absorption features) the western HDSA and hDSA mare units also exhibit a stronger mafic ratio than the Fe-rich Serenitatis basalts. These combined properties indicate an exceptionally high abundance of mafic minerals and suggest that the Eratosthenian deposits within Procellarum may be the most Fe-rich basalts extruded on the surface of the Moon. It is difficult to estimate the FeO content of these young basalts since returned samples demonstrate that all lunar soils contain a fraction of foreign materials and mare soils have a lower weight percent FeO than their associated basalts. We are in the process of considering such sample information and mixing issues in order to estimate the actual FeO abundances of the mafic-rich western basalts. Regions that represent the most immature materials within each mare area were selected by identifying pixels that correspond to the lower-right limit of each mare unit's 1 micron vs. 0.75 micron scatter plot cloud. These spectra, shown, allow comparisons of the strong ferrous absorption for the most crystalline materials within each basalt type. The shape of the 1 micron feature is much flatter and centered at a longer wavelength in the spectra of the western Procellarum basalts compared to the eastern Serenitatis and Tranquillitatis basalts. Additional information contained in original.

North America's Midcontinent Rift: when Rift MET Lip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, C. A.; Stein, S. A.; Kley, J.; Keller, G. R., Jr.; Bollmann, T. A.; Wolin, E.; Zhang, H.; Frederiksen, A. W.; Ola, K.; Wysession, M. E.; Wiens, D.; Alequabi, G.; Waite, G. P.; Blavascunas, E.; Engelmann, C. A.; Flesch, L. M.; Rooney, T. O.; Moucha, R.; Brown, E.

2015-12-01

Rifts are segmented linear depressions, filled with sedimentary and igneous rocks, that form by extension and often evolve into plate boundaries. Flood basalts, a class of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs), are broad regions of extensive volcanism due to sublithospheric processes. Typical rifts are not filled with flood basalts, and typical flood basalts are not associated with significant crustal extension and faulting. North America's Midcontinent Rift (MCR) is an unusual combination. Its 3000-km length formed as part of the 1.1 Ga rifting of Amazonia (Precambrian NE South America) from Laurentia (Precambrian North America) and became inactive once seafloor spreading was established, but contains an enormous volume of igneous rocks. MCR volcanics are significantly thicker than other flood basalts, due to deposition in a narrow rift rather than a broad region, giving a rift geometry but a LIP's magma volume. Structural modeling of seismic reflection data shows an initial rift phase where flood basalts filled a fault-controlled extending basin, and a postrift phase where volcanics and sediments were deposited in a thermally subsiding basin without associated faulting. The crust thinned during rifting and rethickened during the postrift phase and later compression, yielding the present thicker crust. The coincidence of a rift and LIP yielded the world's largest deposit of native copper. This combination arose when a new rift associated with continental breakup interacted with a mantle plume or anomalously hot or fertile upper mantle. Integration of diverse data types and models will give insight into questions including how the magma source was related to the rifting, how their interaction operated over a long period of rapid plate motion, why the lithospheric mantle below the MCR differs only slightly from its surroundings, how and why extension, volcanism, and compression varied along the rift arms, and how successful seafloor spreading ended the rift phase. Papers, talks, and educational material are available at http://www.earth.northwestern.edu/people/seth/research/mcr.html

Stratigraphy, composition and form of the Deccan Basalts, Western Ghats, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beane, J. E.; Turner, C. A.; Hooper, P. R.; Subbarao, K. V.; Walsh, J. N.

1986-02-01

In the Western Ghats between latitudes 18° 20' N and 19° 15' N, 7000 km2 of Deccan Basalt have been mapped with the primary objective of establishing a flow stratigraphy as a guide to the volcanic history of the flood basalts. Using over 70 measured vertical sections, major and trace element analyses of nearly 1200 samples, and rare-earth and87Sr/86Sr determinations for over 60 samples, we divide the basalt into three subgroups and ten formations. In this paper we describe the seven principal formations in the area and the most prominent individual flows. The Kalsubai Subgroup is formed by the lower five formations, the Jawhar, Igatpuri, Neral, Thakurvadi, and Bhimashankar formations, from botton to top. In these formations amygdaloidal compound flows predominate and have a typically high MgO content, including picrite basalt (> 10% MgO) and picrite (> 18% MgO) with phenocrysts of olivine and clinopyroxene. These flows are separated by others which contain giant plagioclase phenocrysts and have more evolved chamical compositions. The Lonavala Subgroup overlies the Kalsubai and is composed of two formations, the Khandala and the Bushe. Both are readily recognized in the field and by their chemical compositions. The Wai Subgroup includes the upper three formations, the Poladpur, the Ambenali, and the Mahabaleshwar. The whole subgroup is composed of simple flows with well-developed flow tops, small phenocrysts of plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, and relatively evolved bulk compositions. Distribution and variation in thickness of the straitigraphic units within the Western Ghats provide a first comprehensive view of the development of the Deccan volcanic edifice. The persistent southerly dip and gentle southerly plunging anticlinal form of the flows, the lensoid shape of many of the formations, and nearly randomly oriented feeder-dike system are together interpreted as evidence of a central volcanic edifice formed as the Indian plate drifted northward over a mantle plume or hot spot.

Aleutian tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magma series I: The mafic phenocrysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kay, S. Mahlburg; Kay, Robert W.

1985-07-01

Diagnostic mafic silicate assemblages in a continuous spectrum of Aleutian volcanic rocks provide evidence for contrasts in magmatic processes in the Aleutian arc crust. Tectonic segmentation of the arc exerts a primary control on the variable mixing, fractional crystallization and possible assimilation undergone by the magmas. End members of the continuum are termed calc-alkaline (CA) and tholeiitic (TH). CA volcanic rocks (e.g., Buldir and Moffett volcanoes) have low FeO/MgO ratios and contain compositionally diverse phenocryst populations, indicating magma mixing. Their Ni and Cr-rich magnesian olivine and clinopyroxene come from mantle-derived mafic olivine basalts that have mixed with more fractionated magmas at mid-to lower-crustal levels immediately preceding eruption. High-Al amphibole is associated with the mafic end member. In contrast, TH lavas (e.g., Okmok and Westdahl volcanoes) have high FeO/MgO ratios and contain little evidence for mixing. Evolved lavas represent advanced stages of low pressure crystallization from a basaltic magma. These lavas contain groundmass olivine (FO 40 50) and lack Ca-poor pyroxene. Aleutian volcanic rocks with intermediate FeO/MgO ratios are termed transitional tholeiitic (TTH) and calc-alkaline (TCA). TCA magmas are common (e.g., Moffett, Adagdak, Great Sitkin, and Kasatochi volcanoes) and have resulted from mixing of high-Al basalt with more evolved magmas. They contain amphibole (high and low-Al) or orthopyroxene or both and are similar to the Japanese hypersthene-series. TTH magmas (e.g., Okmok and Westdahl) contain orthopyroxene or pigeonite or both, and show some indication of upper crustal mixing. They are mineralogically similar to the Japanese pigeonite-series. High-Al basalt lacks Mg-rich mafic phases and is a derivative magma produced by high pressure fractionation of an olivine tholeiite. The low pressure mineral assemblage of high-Al basalt results from crystallization at higher crustal levels.

The provenance and chemical variation of sandstones associated with the Mid-continent Rift System, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cullers, R.L.; Berendsen, P.

1998-01-01

Sandstones along the northern portion of the Precambrian Mid-continent Rift System (MRS) have been petrographically and chemically analyzed for major elements and a variety of trace elements, including the REE. After the initial extrusion of the abundant basalts along the MRS, dominantly volcaniclastic sandstones of the Oronto Group were deposited. These volcaniclastic sandstones are covered by quartzose and subarkosic sandstones of the Bayfield Group. Thus the sandstones of the Oronto Group were derived from previously extruded basalts, whereas, the sandstones of the Bayfield Group were derived from Precambrian granitic gneisses located on the rift flanks. The chemical variation of these sandstones closely reflects the changing detrital modes with time. The elemental composition of the sandstones confirms the source lithologies suggested by the mineralogy and clasts. The Oronto Group sandstones contain lower ratios of elements concentrated in silicic source rocks (La or Th) relative to elements concentrated in basic source rocks (Co, Cr, or Sc) than the Bayfield Group. Also, the average size of the negative Eu anomaly of the sandstones of the Oronto Group is significantly less (Eu/Eu* mean ?? standard deviation = 0.79 ?? 0.13) than that of the Bayfield Group (mean + standard deviation = 0.57 ?? 0.09), also suggesting a more basic source for the former than the latter. Mixing models of elemental ratios give added insight as to the evolution of the rift. These models suggest that the volcanistic sandstones of the lower portion of the Oronto Group are derived from about 80 to 90 percent basalt and 10 to 20 percent granitoids. The rest of the Oronto Group and the lower to middle portion of the Bayfield Group could have formed by mixing of about 30 to 60 percent basalt and 40 to 70 percent granitoids. The upper portion of the Bayfield Group is likely derived from 80 to 100 percent granitoids and zero to 20 percent basalt.

Temporal helium isotopic variations within Hawaiian volcanoes: Basalts from Mauna Loa and Haleakala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, Mark D.; Garcia, Michael O.; Frey, Fred A.; O'Brien, P. A.

1987-11-01

Helium isotope ratios in basalts spanning the subaerial eruptive history of Mauna Loa and Haleakala vary systematically with eruption age. In both volcanoes, olivine mineral separates from the oldest samples have the highest 3He /4He ratios. The Haleakala samples studied range in age from roughly one million years to historic time, while the Mauna Loa samples are radiocarbon dated flows younger than 30.000 years old. The Honomanu tholeiites are the oldest samples from Haleakala and have 3He /4He ratios that range from 13 to 16.8× atmospheric, while the younger Kula and Hana series alkali basalts all have 3He /4He close to 8×atmospheric. A similar range is observed on Mauna Loa; the oldest samples (roughly 30,000 years) have 3He /4He ratios of 15 to 20 × atmospheric, with a relatively smooth decrease to 8 × atmospheric with decreasing age. The consistent trend of decreasing 3He/ 4He ratio with time in both volcanoes, coherence between the helium and Sr and Nd isotopes (for Haleakala), and the similarity of 3He /4He in the late stage basalts to depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) helium, argue against the decrease being the result of radiogenic ingrowth of 4He. The data strongly suggest an undegassed ( i.e., high 3He/(Th + U)) mantle source for the early shield building stages of Hawaiian volcanism. and are consistent with the hotspot/mantle plume model. The data are difficult to reconcile with models for Hawaiian volcanism that require recycled oceanic crust or derivation from a MORB-related upper mantle source. We interpret the decrease in 3He /4He with volcano evolution to result from an increasing involvement of depleted mantle and/or lithosphere during the late stages of Hawaiian volcanism.

Vanadium Partitioning and Mantle Oxidation State: New Experimental Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallmann, G.; O'Neill, H. S.

2007-12-01

Vanadium exists in multiple valences in natural basaltic melts, namely V2+, V3+, V4+ and V5+. Because most crystalline phases prefer to incorporate V3+ rather than V4+ and V5+, the crystal/silicate-melt partitioning of vanadium (DVcry/melt) tends to decrease with increasing oxygen fugacity (fO2). Such dependence has been experimentally demonstrated and used to estimate the fO2 of mantle and mantle-derived rocks. Recent modelling of V and V/Sc systematics in basalts has lead to the view that the relative fO2 of the upper mantle is constant, both through time and among the sources of different types of basaltic magmas (i.e. MORB, OIB and IAB). This is contrary to the notion given by other oxygen barometric methods on peridotites and basalts, which indicate an upper mantle heterogeneous in relative fO2. To explore further the potential of V abundances and V/Sc ratios to estimate the relative fO2 of mantle peridotites and basalts, and in particular to understand variations in mantle oxidation state better, we carried out an experimental campaign aimed at measuring DVcry/melt for all the relevant phases of the upper mantle (i.e. olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet and spinel) over a range of fO2 conditions large enough to pin down not only the behaviour of V3+ and V4+ but also V2+ and V5+. Experiments were done in 1-atm vertical tube furnaces (1300°C) and piston-cylinder apparatus (1275-1450°C and 1.5-3.2 GPa). For the high-pressure experiments, fO2 was controlled by the Re-ReOx/2 equilibrium (10-9 to 10-0.7 bar), whereas for the 1-atm experiments, fO2 was controlled by Ar-CO-CO2- O2 gas mixes (10-18 to 10-0.7 bar). Five starting compositions were used to ensure the presence of all the desired phases. Experimental products were analysed for major elements by electron microprobe and for trace elements by laser-ablation ICP-MS, which enables V to be measured precisely even at very low concentrations. Partition coefficients for all phases plot as approximately sigmoid-shaped curves in log D-log fO2 space. Details of the shape of the curve are controlled by the relative preference of each crystalline phase for a specific valence of V. For instance, orthopyroxene appears to particularly like V4+, so that the log DVopx/melt-log fO2 and log DVcpx/melt-log fO2 curves converge in the region of the diagram dominated by V4+, diverging in the regions dominated by V3+ and V5+. Contrary to previous studies, our results do not suggest a systematic increase in DVcpx/opx with decreasing fO2. Olivine and spinel, on the other hand, strongly prefer V3+ relative to V4+ and V5+ and hence for olivine and spinel the difference in partition coefficients between reducing and oxidizing conditions are more pronounced than that for pyroxenes. At high-pressure, DVgrt/melt and DVcpx/melt are very similar to each other, but the values of DVcpx/melt are about one order of magnitude higher than those obtained at 1 atm at comparable fO2. The cause of this discrepancy is being investigated.

High resolution mapping of seismic properties across upper mantle discontinuities in the stagnant slab region beneath Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y.; Shen, X.; Song, T. R. A.; Lim, H.

2016-12-01

Plate tectonic processes operating over much of the Earth's history induce long-term mantle mixing of chemical heterogeneities, recycling of volatiles into the mantle and regulate basalt geochemistry. Fundamental questions relevant to the mantle transition zone concern the nature of phase transition, the distribution of chemical heterogeneities (e.g., harzburgite, basalt), the temperature gradient, as well as the degree and extent of hydration and melting. One particularly important question is how the slab stagnation may be influenced by hydration or/and basalt enrichment in the mantle transition zone. To help answer these questions, we aim to detail upper mantle seismic discontinuity properties, including the shear velocity contrast, the density contrast, the transition sharpness and the gradient using high quality receiver functions using broadband data in South Korea, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the imaged stagnant slab near northeast China. Our approach involves broadband observation and amplitude analysis of direct converted waves (Pds) and multiples (PpPds) from the 410 and 660 seismic discontinuities, following our previous effort in a similar analysis in China. We processed waveforms from 52 broadband seismic stations of the Korea seismic array using an automatic scheme to remove noisy waveforms and retained close to 12,000 high quality receiver functions. After gathering receiver functions as a function of epicentral distance, we perform slowness stacking of direct converted waves and the multiples, respectively, at several discrete frequency bands between 1 sec and 15 sec. To avoid interferences from other mantle waves (PP, PPP, PcP, PP410s, PP660s), we stack receive functions across epicentral distances of 74-90 (62-76) degrees for the 410 (660) seismic discontinuity and obtain amplitude estimates and uncertainties through the bootstrap method. To properly calibrate the amplitudes of receiver functions, we take into account the effect of incoherent stacking due to discontinuity topography and frequency-dependent attenuation. Preliminary result will be presented and contrasted against our previous work in east China.

Constraining the Composition of the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the East African Rift: FTIR Analysis of Water in Spinel Peridotite Mantle Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, S. G.; Nelson, W. R.; Peslier, A. H.; Snow, J. E.

2014-12-01

The East African Rift System was initiated by the impingement of the Afar mantle plume on the base of the non-cratonic continental lithosphere (assembled during the Pan-African Orogeny), producing over 300,000 km3 [1] of continental flood basalts ~30 Ma ago. The contribution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) to this voluminous period of volcanism is implied based on basaltic geochemical and isotopic data. However, the role of percolating melts on the SCLM composition is less clear. Metasomatism is capable of hybridizing or overprinting the geochemical signature of the SCLM. In addition, models suggest that adding fluids to lithospheric mantle affects its stability [e.g. 2, 3]. We investigated the nature of the SCLM using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) to measure water content in mantle xenoliths entrained in young (1 Ma) basaltic lavas from the Ethiopian volcanic province. The mantle xenoliths consist dominantly of spinel lherzolites and are composed of nominally anhydrous minerals, which can contain trace water as H in mineral defects. Eleven mantle xenoliths come from the Injibara-Gojam region and two from the Mega-Sidamo region. Water abundances of olivines in six samples are 1-5ppm H2O while the rest are below the limit of detection (<0.5 ppm H2O); orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene contain 80-238 and 111-340 ppm wt H2O, respectively. Two xenoliths have higher water contents - a websterite (470 ppm) and dunite (229 ppm), consistent with involvement of ascending melts. The low water content of the upper SCLM beneath Ethiopia is as dry as the oceanic mantle [2] except for small domains represented by percolating melts. Consequently, rifting of the East African lithosphere may not have been facilitated by a hydrated upper mantle. [1] Hoffman et al., 1997 Nature 389, 838-841. [2] Peslier et al., 2010 Nature 467, 78-81. [3] Lee et al., 2011 AREPS 39, 59-90.

Geologic History of Asteroid 4 Vesta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David W.

2014-01-01

Some types of meteorites - most irons, stony irons, some achondrites - hail from asteroids that were heated to the point where magmatism occurred within a very few million years of the formation of the earliest solids in the solar system. The largest clan of achondrites, the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites, represent the crust of their parent asteroid]. Diogenites are cumulate harzburgites and orthopyroxenites from the lower crust whilst eucrites are basalts, diabases and cumulate gabbros from the upper crust. Howardites are impact-engendered breccias mostly of diogenites and eucrites. There remains only one large asteroid with a basaltic crust, 4 Vesta, which is thought to be the source of the HED clan. Differentiation models for Vesta are based on HED compositions. Proto-Vesta consisted of chondritic materials containing Al-26, a potent, short-lived heat source. Inferences from compositional data are that Vesta was melted to high degree (=50%) allowing homogenization of the silicate phase and separation of a metallic core. Convection of the silicate magma ocean allowed equilibrium crystallization, forming a harzburgitic mantle. After convective lockup occurred, melt collected between the mantle and the cool thermal boundary layer and underwent fractional crystallization forming an orthopyroxene-rich (diogenite) lower crust. The initial thermal boundary layer of chondritic material was replaced by a mafic upper crust through impact disruption and foundering. The mafic crust thickened over time as additional residual magma intrudes and penetrates the mafic crust forming plutons, dikes, sills and flows of cumulate and basaltic eucrite composition. This magmatic history may have taken only 2-3 Myr. This magma ocean scenario is at odds with a model of heat and magma transport that indicates that small degrees of melt would be rapidly expelled from source regions, precluding development of a magma ocean. Constraints from radiogenic Mg-26 distibutions suggest that the parent asteroid of HEDs was much smaller than Vesta. Thus, first-order questions regarding asteroid differentiation remain.

Thermal and petrologic constraints on lower crustal melt accumulation under the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karakas, Ozge; Dufek, Josef; Mangan, Margaret T.; Wright, Heather M.; Bachmann, Olivier

2017-06-01

In the Salton Sea region of southern California (USA), concurrent magmatism, extension, subsidence, and sedimentation over the past 0.5 to 1.0 Ma have led to the creation of the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF)-the second largest and hottest geothermal system in the continental United States-and the small-volume rhyolite eruptions that created the Salton Buttes. In this study, we determine the flux of mantle-derived basaltic magma that would be required to produce the elevated average heat flow and sustain the magmatic roots of rhyolite volcanism observed at the surface of the Salton Sea region. We use a 2D thermal model to show that a lower-crustal, partially molten mush containing < 20- 40% interstitial melt develops over a ∼105-yr timescale for basalt fluxes of 0.008 to 0.010 m3 /m2 /yr (∼0.0008 to ∼0.001 km3/yr injection rate) given extension rates at or below the current value of ∼0.01 m/yr (Brothers et al., 2009). These regions of partial melt are a natural consequence of a thermal regime that scales with average surface heat flow in the Salton Trough, and are consistent with seismic observations. Our results indicate limited melting and assimilation of pre-existing rocks in the lower crust. Instead, we find that basalt fractionation in the lower crust produces derivative melts of andesitic to dacitic composition. Such melts are then expected to ascend and accumulate in the upper crust, where they further evolve to give rise to small-volume rhyolite eruptions (Salton Buttes) and fuel local spikes in surface heat flux as currently seen in the SSGF. Such upper crustal magma evolution, with limited assimilation of hydrothermally altered material, is required to explain the slight decrease in δ18 O values of zircons (and melts) that have been measured in these rhyolites.

Geology and mineral deposits of the Hekimhan-Hasancelebi iron district, Turkey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobson, Herbert S.; Kendiro'glu, Zeki; ,; Celil, Bogaz; ,; Onder, Osman; Gurel, Nafis

1972-01-01

An area of 210 sq km was investigated in the Hekimhan-Hasancelebi district. of central Turkey as part of the Maden Tetkik ve Arama Institusu(MTA)-U. S. Geological Survey(USGS) mineral exploration and training project to explore for iron deposits and to provide on-.the-job training for MTA geologists. The rocks of the area are Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks intruded by syenite and a serpentinized mafic and ultramafic complex and overlain unconformably by late .Tertiary basalt. The base of the section is a thick mafic volcanic-sedimentary sequence with diverse rocks that include conglomerate, sandstone, shale, tuff, limestone, and basalt. The upper part of the sequence is metasomatized near syenite contacts. The sequence is conformably overlain by trachyte and unconformably overlain by massive limestone. Overlying the limestone is a Tertiary sedimentary sequence which is dominantly conglomerate and sandstone with local limestone and volcanic rocks. This series is in turn overlain by olivine basalt. Mineral deposits are associated with the two types of intrusive rocks. Hematite-magnetite in the Karakuz mine area and in the Bahcedami-Hasancelebi area is related to the syenite, and siderite in the Deveci mine area is possibly related to the mafic-ultramafic rocks. Significant iron resources are found, only in the Karakuz and Deveci areas. In the Karakuz area disseminations, veins, and replacements consisting of hematite and magnetite are present. Most of the material is low grade. In the Deveci mine area a large deposit of siderite apparently is a replacement of carbonate beds adjacent to serpentinized igneous rock. The upper part of the siderite deposit is weathered and enriched to a mixture of iron and manganese oxides of direct shipping ore grade. Additional investigation of both the Karakuz and .Deveci mine areas is recommended including: 1. A detailed gravity and magnetic survey of part of the Karakuz area. 2. Diamond drilling at both the Karakuz and Deveci areas.

Mantle xenoliths hosted in alkali basalts in subduction environment: the example of the SE Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, D.; Maffei, K.; Bosch, D.; Braga, R.; Macera, P.; Morten, L.

2003-04-01

We present petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) data of a representative suite of spl-peridotite xenoliths (mg# >88) hosted in alkali basalts from numerous outcrops in the Tertiary Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP; SE Alps, Italy), compared to various world-wide mafic inclusions (French Massif, Australia, China, Philippines, Russia, Kerguelen). The VVP spl-harzburgites and -lherzolites carry textures ranging from protogranular, porphyroclastic, granuloblastic to pyrometamorfic. These samples are characterized by a continuous depletion trend from the cpx-rich lherzolites to harzburgites, with CaO, Al_2O_3, TiO_2, and Na_2O contents decreasing with mg# increasing (Morten, 1987; Beccaluva et al., 2001). Then, the VVP xenoliths spinels show a strong Cr/(Cr+Al) ratio increase at a slight Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) ratio decrease, thus reflecting a variably depleted mantle source. The VVP xenoliths display a large range of enrichment in LREE, K, Rb, Sr and P, suggesting post depletion metasomatic episodes (Morten et al., 2002). Whereas most of the VVP xenoliths' multi-element spectra, incompatible element and isotope ratios are similar to the VVP host basalts, thus with a strong HIMU signature (Macera et al. submitted), some depleted samples show geochemical features typical of crust derived material. These characteristics cannot be related to significant interaction with the local lower continental crust, as represented by several analyzed gabbroic xenoliths. Nevertheless negative Nb and Ta anomalies in analogous peridotitic samples have been previously ascribed to metasomatism inferred by plume rising material in the upper mantle (Bedini et al., 1997). Comparing the VVP peridotites with several mafic xenoliths from various geodynamical environments, we suggest that this crust affinity could be alternatively explained by the presence of a not perfectly homogenized upper crustal component in the source region, probably induced by subduction related episode(s). In this contest, the isotopic composition of the VVP mafic xenoliths is a crucial tool to understand the geochemical history of the Alpine subcontinental mantle.

Seismic perspectives from the western U.S. on the evolution of magma reservoirs underlying major silicic eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmandt, B.; Huang, H. H.; Farrell, J.; Hansen, S. M.; Jiang, C.

2017-12-01

The western U.S. Cordillera has hosted widespread magmatic activity since the Eocene including ≥1,000 km3 silicic eruptions since 1 Ma. A review of recent seismic constraints on relatively young (≤1.1 Ma) and old (Oligocene) magmatic systems provides insight into the heterogeneity among these systems and their temporal evolution. Local seismic data vary widely but all of these systems are covered by the USArray's 70-km spacing. Among 3 young systems with ≥300 km3 silicic eruptions (Yellowstone - 0.64 Ma; Long Valley - 0.76 Ma; Valles - 1.1 Ma) only Yellowstone shows sufficiently low seismic velocities to require partial melt in the upper crust at scales visible with USArray data. Finer-scale arrays refine the shape of large (>1,000 km3) partially molten volumes in the upper and lower crust at Yellowstone, and similar studies at Long Valley and Valles indicate much smaller volumes of partial melt. Notably, Long Valley Caldera is seismically active in the upper and lower crust, has a high flux of CO2 degassing, and multi-year geodetic transients consistent with an inflating upper crustal reservoir of 2-4 km radius (compared to 20x50x5 km at Yellowstone). Upper mantle seismic imaging finds strong low velocity anomalies that require some partial melt beneath Yellowstone and Long Valley, but more ambiguous results beneath Valles. Thus, the structures of the three young large-volume silicic systems are highly variable suggesting that large reservoirs of melt in the upper crust are short-lived with respect to the ≤1.1 Ma since the last major eruption, consistent with recent inferences from geochemically constrained thermal histories of erupted crystals. Among long-extinct silicic systems, most were severely overprinted by extensional deformation. The San Juan and Mogollon Datil are exceptions with only modest deformation. These systems show low-to-average velocity crust down to a sharp Moho and relatively thin crust for their elevations. Both are consistent with a felsic to intermediate crustal column, suggesting that mafic cumulates required to produce silicic magma from basaltic inputs are not present in large quantities (>5 km layers). We infer that post-eruption foundering of mafic cumulates into the mantle occurred and was not followed by another major episode of basaltic melt input.

Radiocarbon dating of dissolved inorganic carbon in groundwater from confined parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer, Florida, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plummer, Niel; Sprinkle, C.L.

2001-01-01

Geochemical reaction models were evaluated to improve radiocarbon dating of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in groundwater from confined parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer in central and northeastern Florida, USA. The predominant geochemical reactions affecting the 14C activity of DIC include (1) dissolution of dolomite and anhydrite with calcite precipitation (dedolomitization), (2) sulfate reduction accompanying microbial degradation of organic carbon, (3) recrystallization of calcite (isotopic exchange), and (4) mixing of fresh water with as much as 7% saline water in some coastal areas. The calculated cumulative net mineral transfers are negligibly small in upgradient parts of the aquifer and increase significantly in downgradient parts of the aquifer, reflecting, at least in part, upward leakage from the Lower Floridan aquifer and circulation that contacted middle confining units in the Floridan aquifer system. The adjusted radiocarbon ages are independent of flow path and represent travel times of water from the recharge area to the sample point in the aquifer. Downgradient from Polk City (adjusted age 1.7 ka) and Keystone Heights (adjusted age 0.4 ka), 14 of the 22 waters have adjusted 14C ages of 20-30 ka, indicating that most of the fresh-water resource in the Upper Floridan aquifer today was recharged during the last glacial period. All of the paleowaters are enriched in 18O and 2H relative to modern infiltration, with maximum enrichment in ??18O of approximately 2.0%o.

Models of earth structure inferred from neodymium and strontium isotopic abundances

PubMed Central

Wasserburg, G. J.; DePaolo, D. J.

1979-01-01

A simplified model of earth structure based on the Nd and Sr isotopic characteristics of oceanic and continental tholeiitic flood basalts is presented, taking into account the motion of crustal plates and a chemical balance for trace elements. The resulting structure that is inferred consists of a lower mantle that is still essentially undifferentiated, overlain by an upper mantle that is the residue of the original source from which the continents were derived. PMID:16592688

Summary of hydraulic properties of the Floridan Aquifer system in coastal Georgia and adjacent parts of South Carolina and Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clarke, John S.; Leeth, David C.; Taylor-Harris, DaVette; Painter, Jaime A.; Labowski, James L.

2005-01-01

Hydraulic-property data for the Floridan aquifer system and equivalent clastic sediments in a 67-county area of coastal Georgia and adjacent parts of South Carolina and Florida were evaluated to provide data necessary for development of ground-water flow and solute-transport models. Data include transmissivity at 324 wells, storage coefficient at 115 wells, and vertical hydraulic conductivity of 72 core samples from 27 sites. Hydraulic properties of the Upper Floridan aquifer vary greatly in the study area due to the heterogeneity (and locally to anisotropy) of the aquifer and to variations in the degree of confinement provided by confining units. Prominent structural features in the areathe Southeast Georgia Embayment, the Beaufort Arch, and the Gulf Troughinfluence the thickness and hydraulic properties of the sediments comprising the Floridan aquifer system. Transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer and equivalent updip units was compiled for 239 wells and ranges from 530 feet squared per day (ft2/d) at Beaufort County, South Carolina, to 600,000 ft2/d in Coffee County, Georgia. In carbonate rock settings of the lower Coastal Plain, transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer generally is greater than 20,000 ft2/d, with values exceeding 100,000 ft2/d in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the study area (generally coinciding with the area of greatest aquifer thickness). Transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer generally is less than 10,000 ft2/d in and near the upper Coastal Plain, where the aquifer is thin and consists largely of clastic sediments, and in the vicinity of the Gulf Trough, where the aquifer consists of low permeability rocks and sediments. Large variability in the range of transmissivity in Camden and Glynn Counties, Georgia, and Nassau County, Florida, demonstrates the anisotropic distribution of hydraulic properties that may result from fractures or solution openings in the carbonate rocks. Storage coefficient of the Upper Floridan aquifer was compiled for 106 wells and ranges from about 0.00004 at Beaufort County, South Carolina, to 0.04 in Baker County, Florida. Transmissivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer and equivalent updip clastic units was compiled for 53 wells and ranges from about 170 ft2/d in Barnwell County, South Carolina, to about 43,000 ft2/d in Camden County, Georgia. Transmissivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer is greatest where the aquifer is thickest in southeastern Georgia and northeastern Floridawhere estimates are greater than 10,000 ft2/d; at one well in southeastern Georgia transmissivity was estimated to be as high as 200,000 ft2/d. Storage-coefficient data for the Lower Floridan aquifer are limited to three estimates in Barnwell and Allendale Counties, South Carolina, and to estimates determined from six multi-aquifer tests in Duval County, Florida. In the South Carolina tests, storage coefficient ranges from 0.0003 to 0.0004; this range is indicative of a confined aquifer. The storage coefficient for the combined Upper and Lower Floridan wells in Duval County, Florida, ranges from 0.00002 to 0.02. Vertical hydraulic conductivity was compiled from core samples collected at 27 sites. For the Upper Floridan confining unit, values from 39 core samples at 17 sites range from 0.0002 to 3 feet per day (ft/d). For the Lower Floridan confining unit, values from 10 core samples at 9 sites range from about 0.000004 to 0.16 ft/d. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer was compiled from 16 core samples at five sites, mostly in the Brunswick, Georgia, area and values range from 0.00134 to 160.4 ft/d. Vertical hydraulic conductivity for the semiconfining unit separating the upper and lower water-bearing zones of the Upper Floridan at Brunswick, Georgia, compiled from 6 core samples at three sites ranges from 0.000008 to 0.000134 ft/d. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer in a core sample from a well at Brunswick, G

Bounds on quantum confinement effects in metal nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackman, G. Neal; Genov, Dentcho A.

2018-03-01

Quantum size effects on the permittivity of metal nanoparticles are investigated using the quantum box model. Explicit upper and lower bounds are derived for the permittivity and relaxation rates due to quantum confinement effects. These bounds are verified numerically, and the size dependence and frequency dependence of the empirical Drude size parameter is extracted from the model. Results suggest that the common practice of empirically modifying the dielectric function can lead to inaccurate predictions for highly uniform distributions of finite-sized particles.

Crystallization of oxidized, moderately hydrous arc basalt at mid- to lower-crustal pressures: implications for andesite genesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blatter, Dawnika L.; Sisson, Thomas W.; Hankins, W. Ben

2013-09-01

This study focuses on the production of convergent margin calc-alkaline andesites by crystallization-differentiation of basaltic magmas in the lower to middle crust. Previous experimental studies show that dry, reduced, subalkaline basalts differentiate to tholeiitic (high Fe/Mg) daughter liquids, but the influences of H2O and oxidation on differentiation are less well established. Accordingly, we performed crystallization experiments at controlled oxidized fO2 (Re-ReO2 ≈ ΔNi-NiO + 2) on a relatively magnesian basalt (8.7 wt% MgO) typical of mafic magmas erupted in the Cascades near Mount Rainier, Washington. The basalt was synthesized with 2 wt% H2O and run at 900, 700, and 400 MPa and 1,200 to 950 °C. A broadly clinopyroxenitic crystallization interval dominates near the liquidus at 900 and 700 MPa, consisting of augite + olivine + orthopyroxene + Cr-spinel (in decreasing abundance). With decreasing temperature, plagioclase crystallizes, Fe-Ti-oxide replaces spinel, olivine dissolves, and finally amphibole appears, producing gabbroic and then amphibole gabbroic crystallization stages. Enhanced plagioclase stability at lower pressure narrows the clinopyroxenitic interval and brings the gabbroic interval toward the liquidus. Liquids at 900 MPa track along Miyashiro's (Am J Sci 274(4):321-355, 1974) tholeiitic versus calc-alkaline boundary, whereas those at 700 and 400 MPa become calc-alkaline at silica contents ≥56 wt%. This difference is chiefly due to higher temperature appearance of magnetite (versus spinel) at lower pressures. Although the evolved liquids are similar in many respects to common calc-alkaline andesites, the 900 and 700 MPa liquids differ in having low CaO concentrations due to early and abundant crystallization of augite, with the result that those liquids become peraluminous (ASI: molar Al/(Na + K + 2Ca) > 1) at ≥61 wt% SiO2, similar to liquids reported in other studies of the high-pressure crystallization of hydrous basalts (Müntener and Ulmer in Geophys Res Lett 33(21):L21308, 2006). The lower-pressure liquids (400 MPa) have this same trait, but to a lesser extent due to more abundant near-liquidus plagioclase crystallization. A compilation of >6,500 analyses of igneous rocks from the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada batholith, representative of convergent margin (arc) magmas, shows that ASI increases continuously and linearly with SiO2 from basalts to rhyolites or granites and that arc magmas are not commonly peraluminous until SiO2 exceeds 69 wt%. These relations are consistent with plagioclase accompanying mafic silicates over nearly all the range of crystallization (or remelting). The scarcity of natural peraluminous andesites shows that progressive crystallization-differentiation of primitive basalts in the deep crust, producing early clinopyroxenitic cumulates and evolved liquids, does not dominate the creation of intermediate arc magmas or of the continental crust. Instead, mid- to upper-crustal differentiation and/or open-system processes are critical to the production of intermediate arc magmas. Primary among the open-system processes may be extraction of highly evolved (granitic, rhyolitic) liquids at advanced degrees of basalt solidification (or incipient partial melting of predecessor gabbroic intrusions) and mixing of such liquids into replenishing basalts. Furthermore, if the andesitic-composition continents derived from basaltic sources, the arc ASI-SiO2 relation shows that the mafic component returned to the mantle was gabbroic in composition, not pyroxenitic.

Crystallization of oxidized, moderately hydrous arc basalt at mid- to lower-crustal pressures: Implications for andesite genesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blatter, Dawnika L.; Sisson, Thomas W.; Hankins, W. Ben

2013-01-01

This study focuses on the production of convergent margin calc-alkaline andesites by crystallization–differentiation of basaltic magmas in the lower to middle crust. Previous experimental studies show that dry, reduced, subalkaline basalts differentiate to tholeiitic (high Fe/Mg) daughter liquids, but the influences of H2O and oxidation on differentiation are less well established. Accordingly, we performed crystallization experiments at controlled oxidized fO2 (Re–ReO2 ≈ ΔNi–NiO + 2) on a relatively magnesian basalt (8.7 wt% MgO) typical of mafic magmas erupted in the Cascades near Mount Rainier, Washington. The basalt was synthesized with 2 wt% H2O and run at 900, 700, and 400 MPa and 1,200 to 950 °C. A broadly clinopyroxenitic crystallization interval dominates near the liquidus at 900 and 700 MPa, consisting of augite + olivine + orthopyroxene + Cr-spinel (in decreasing abundance). With decreasing temperature, plagioclase crystallizes, Fe–Ti-oxide replaces spinel, olivine dissolves, and finally amphibole appears, producing gabbroic and then amphibole gabbroic crystallization stages. Enhanced plagioclase stability at lower pressure narrows the clinopyroxenitic interval and brings the gabbroic interval toward the liquidus. Liquids at 900 MPa track along Miyashiro’s (Am J Sci 274(4):321–355, 1974) tholeiitic versus calc-alkaline boundary, whereas those at 700 and 400 MPa become calc-alkaline at silica contents ≥56 wt%. This difference is chiefly due to higher temperature appearance of magnetite (versus spinel) at lower pressures. Although the evolved liquids are similar in many respects to common calc-alkaline andesites, the 900 and 700 MPa liquids differ in having low CaO concentrations due to early and abundant crystallization of augite, with the result that those liquids become peraluminous (ASI: molar Al/(Na + K + 2Ca) > 1) at ≥61 wt% SiO2, similar to liquids reported in other studies of the high-pressure crystallization of hydrous basalts (Müntener and Ulmer in Geophys Res Lett 33(21):L21308, 2006). The lower-pressure liquids (400 MPa) have this same trait, but to a lesser extent due to more abundant near-liquidus plagioclase crystallization. A compilation of >6,500 analyses of igneous rocks from the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada batholith, representative of convergent margin (arc) magmas, shows that ASI increases continuously and linearly with SiO2 from basalts to rhyolites or granites and that arc magmas are not commonly peraluminous until SiO2 exceeds 69 wt%. These relations are consistent with plagioclase accompanying mafic silicates over nearly all the range of crystallization (or remelting). The scarcity of natural peraluminous andesites shows that progressive crystallization–differentiation of primitive basalts in the deep crust, producing early clinopyroxenitic cumulates and evolved liquids, does not dominate the creation of intermediate arc magmas or of the continental crust. Instead, mid- to upper-crustal differentiation and/or open-system processes are critical to the production of intermediate arc magmas. Primary among the open-system processes may be extraction of highly evolved (granitic, rhyolitic) liquids at advanced degrees of basalt solidification (or incipient partial melting of predecessor gabbroic intrusions) and mixing of such liquids into replenishing basalts. Furthermore, if the andesitic-composition continents derived from basaltic sources, the arc ASI–SiO2 relation shows that the mafic component returned to the mantle was gabbroic in composition, not pyroxenitic.

Drainage development and incision rates in an Upper Pleistocene Basalt-Limestone Boundary Channel: The Sa'ar Stream, Golan Heights, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shtober-Zisu, N.; Inbar, M.; Mor, D.; Jicha, B. R.; Singer, B. S.

2018-02-01

Long-term fluvial incision processes and corresponding geomorphic evolution are difficult to quantify, especially in complex systems affected by lithological and tectonic factors. Volcanic landscapes offer the most appropriate environment for the study of landscape evolution, as there is a clear starting time of formation and the lithology is homogenous. In the present study we aim to: (1) analyse the interplay of construction and incision processes throughout eruptive activity; (2) study fluvial erosion processes; (3) analyse sedimentary and volcanic lithological responses to channel erosion; and (4) calculate the incision rates in young basaltic bedrock. We have integrated existing and new 40Ar/39Ar ages of lava flows with estimates of channel geometry and tectonic activity, and considered process geomorphology concepts, to fully understand evolution of a bedrock channel incised at the boundary between basalts and sedimentary rocks with coeval active volcanic processes forcing drainage evolution. Our findings indicate that the Sa'ar basin evolution is controlled by: (1) rock strength of the mixed lithology; (2) alternating cycles of volcanic activity followed by erosion and incision; and (3) the Plio-Pleistocene uplift of Mt. Hermon. The carbonate slopes composing the southern flank of Mt. Hermon are moderate (18-26%) while the basalt slopes deriving from the Golan Heights are much steeper (26-51%). The highly erodible sedimentary rocks at Mt. Hermon's piedmont accelerated river incision, shaping a 650 m wide by 100 m deep canyon. Inside the canyon, the steep channel slope (8.6%) enables downstream movement of large boulders, including autochthonous mega-blocks (D90 size > 2.5 m); 24 knickpoints were identified using DS plots, developed within a knick zone over a distance of 6 km. The brittle and porous structure of the rubbly and blocky interflow layers (clinkers), interbedded between two massive basalt flows, enhances erosion and accelerates scouring of the plunge-pool bottom and walls. Three volcanic phases shaped the Sa'ar basin: (1) The 3.25 Ma Cover Basalt flowed over large areas of the Levant and reached up to the northern Golan; (2) Dalwe Basalt was emplaced between 1.2 Ma and 750 ka, from vents including Mt. Qatzaa and Mt. Odem, and extended to Mt. Hermon covering sedimentary cuestas; (3) Ein Zivan Basalt (including the Sa'ar Lava Flow - the youngest basalt flow known in Israel) erupted before 110-120 ka and quickly accumulated at least three distinct flows into the deeply incised Paleo-Sa'ar canyon, refilling the canyon to a height of 50 m. Rates of incision are consistent with other rivers draining the Golan Heights. The total incision rate of the Sa'ar channel during the last 760 ka is at least 19.7 cm/ka. Over the past 100 ka, the incision rate was 22-30 cm/ka and the back-erosion of the Sa'ar highest knickpoint occurred at 68 cm/ka. Our findings reflect the latest evolution history of a special, mixed lithology channel, developed at the border of a large basaltic province, in an active tectonic environment. The results suggest that fluvial adjustment of basalt-limestone rivers is determined first by the interplay of construction and incision processes throughout alternating cycles of volcanic activity and quiescence. The lithology is an extremely important factor determining the type and rate of erosion. While the tectonic factor might determine the basin relief and slope, the lithological factor accelerates erosion and river incision.

The reason for a Daly gap in magmatic series of large igneous provinces: geological and petrological evidences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, Evgenii; Bogina, Maria; Chistyakov, Alexeii

2017-04-01

One of the most important problems of magmatic petrology over the past century is a «Daly Gap» [Daly, 1914]. It describes the lack of intermediate compositions (i.e., andesite, trachyandesite) in volcanic provinces like ocean islands, LIPs, & arcs, giving rise to "bimodal" basalt-rhyolite, basalt-trachyte or basanite-phonolite suites (Menzies, 2016). At the same time, the origin of the bimodal distribution still remains unclear. Among models proposed to explain the origin of the bimodal series are liquid immiscibility (Charlier et al 2011), physico-chemical specifics of melts (Mungal, Martin,1995), high water content in a primary melt (Melekhova et al., 2012), influence of latent heat production (Nelson et al., 2011), appearance of differentiated transitional chambers with hawaiites below and trachytes on top (Ferla et al., 2006), etc. In this case, the bimodal series are characterized by similar geochemical and isotopic-geochemical features of mafic and sialic members. At the same time, some bimodal series are produced by melting of sialic crust over basaltic chambers (Philpottas and Ague, 2009). This results in the essentially different isotopic characteristics of mafic and sialic members, as exemplified by the bimodal rapakivi granites-anorthosite complexes (Ramo, 1991; Sharkov, 2010). In addition, the bimodal basalt-trachyte series are widely spread in oceanic islands where sialic crust is absent. Thus, it is generally accepted that two contrasting melts were formed in magma chambers beneath volcanoes. Such chambers survived as intrusions and are available for geological study and deciphering their role in the formation of the bimodal magmatic series. We discuss this problem by the example of alkali Fe-Ti basalts and trachytes usually developed in LIPs. Transitional magmatic chambers of such series are represented by bimodal syenite-gabbro intrusions, in particular, by the Elet'ozero intrusion (2086±30 Ma) in Northern Karelia (Russia). The intrusion intruded Archean granite-gneisses and, like syenite-gabbro intrusive complexes everywhere, was formed in two intrusive phases. The first phase is represented by mafic-ultramafic layered intrusion derived from alkali Fe-Ti basalt. The second phase is made up of alkali syenites, which are close in composition to alkali trachyte. At the same time, syenite and gabbro have close ɛNd(2080) (2.99 and 3.09, respectively). So, we faced the intrusive version of alkali basalt-trachyte series. We believe that neither crystallization differentiation, nor immiscible splitting, nor other within-chamber processes were responsible for a Daly Gap. The formation of the latter is rather related to the generation of two compositionally different independent partial melts from the same mantle plume head: (1) alkali Fe-Ti basalts derived from plume head owing to adiabatic melting, and (2) trachytes produced by incongruent melting of upper cooled margin of the head under the influence of fluids, which percolated from underlying adiabatic melting zone. The existence of primary trachyte melts is supported by the finds of "melt pockets" in mantle xenoliths in basalts.

Submarine Rejuvenated-Stage Lavas Offshore Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clague, D. A.; Cousens, B. L.; Davis, A. S.; Dixon, J. E.; Hon, K.; Moore, J. G.; Reynolds, J. R.

2003-12-01

Rejuvenated-stage lavas from the Hawaiian Islands form many distinctive landmarks, such as Diamond Head. They have been relatively well studied due to their primitive, strongly alkaline compositions (alkalic basalt, basanite, nephelinite, melilitite, phonolite). More recently, compositionally similar lavas have been mapped and sampled on the deep seafloor around the islands. Rejuvenated-stage cones also occur on the submarine flanks of the islands. A Pisces V submersible dive collected samples from the only submarine cone on the north slope of East Molokai. The alkalic basalt to basanite composition lava is similar to the subaerial Kalaupapa basalt (Clague and Moore, 2003). MBARI Tiburon ROV dives recovered nephelinite from a lone steep cone on the northeast slope of Oahu, alkalic basalt from two shallow steep cones just west of the Koko Rift, and alkalic basalt from the submarine flank of Diamond Head on Oahu's south flank. These lavas are generally similar to subaerial Honolulu Volcanics, although the isotopic data extend to higher Sr isotopic values. Other MBARI Tiburon ROV dives recovered alkalic basalt and basanite from 8 separate steep cones on the south flank of Kauai. Once again, these lavas are chemically similar to those from the subaerial Koloa Volcanics. Samples from one of these cones contained common xenoliths of upper mantle lherzolite and harzburgite. Seven MBARI Tiburon ROV dives on the northwest flank of Niihau sampled 6 flat-topped cones and 5 pointed cones. The lavas from the flat-topped cones are alkalic basalt similar to rejuvenated Kiekie Basalt on Niihau Island whereas the lavas from the pointed cones are basanite, hawaiite, and tephrophonolite that are chemically distinct from the Kiekie Basalt, but similar to rejuvenated-stage lavas on Kauai and Oahu. Volcaniclastic deposits were observed and sampled at many of the sites offshore Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu, as well as the North Arch. Breadcrust and spindle bombs and spatter were found offshore Kauai as deep as 1500 m, in addition to finer volcaniclastic deposits consisting of vesicular angular glass fragments, which also occur offshore Oahu and in the North Arch as deep as 4100 m (Davis and Clague, submitted). The glass data from all these deposits as well as on pillow and sheet flow rinds from Oahu, Molokai, Niihau, Kauai, North Arch, South Arch, Southwest Oahu volcanic field, and some of the cones between Oahu and Kauai demonstrate that rejuvenated stage lavas did not erupt as near-primary melts, but rather as crystal-rich magmas whose bulk compositions approach primary magma compositions. The low-MgO contents of almost all the glasses indicate that these magmas cooled and crystallized significantly during transit through the cool lithosphere. The distribution of these lavas on the islands, on the flanks of some islands, and on the deep seafloor suggest that the melting region around the Hawaiian hot-spot is at least 400 km across.

H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope geochemistry of the Latir volcanic field and cogenetic intrusions, New Mexico, and relations between evolution of a continental magmatic center and modifications of the lithosphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, C.M.; Lipman, P.W.; Czamanske, G.K.

1990-01-01

Over 200 H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope analyses, in addition to geologic and petrologic constraints, document the magmatic evolution of the 28.5-19 Ma Latir volcanic field and associated intrusive rocks, which includes multiple stages of crustal assimilation, magma mixing, protracted crystallization, and open- and closed-system evolution in the upper crust. In contrast to data from younger volcanic centers in northern New Mexico, relatively low and restricted primary ??18O values (+6.4 to +7.4) rule out assimilation of supracrustal rocks enriched in 18O. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.705 to 0.708), ??18O values (-2 to-7), and 206Pb/204Pb ratios (17.5 to 18.4) of metaluminous precaldera volcanic rocks and postcaldera plutonic rocks suggest that most Latir rocks were generated by fractional crystallization of substantial volumes of mantle-derived basaltic magma that had near-chondritic Nd isotope ratios, accompanied by assimilation of crustal material in two main stages: 1) assimilation of non-radiogenic lower crust, followed by 2) assimilation of middle and upper crust by inter-mediate-composition magmas that had been contaminated during the first stage. Magmatic evolution in the upper crust peaked with eruption of the peralkaline Amalia Tuff (???26 Ma), which evolved from metaluminous parental magmas. A third stage of late, roofward assimilation of Proterozoic rocks in the Amalia Tuff magma is indicated by trends in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios from 0.7057 to 0.7098 and 19.5 to 18.8, respectively, toward the top of the pre-eruptive magma chamber. Highly evolved postcaldera plutons are generally fine grained and are zoned in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios, varying from 0.705 to 0.709 and 17.8 to 18.6, respectively. In contrast, the coarser-grained Cabresto Lake (???25 Ma) and Rio Hondo (???21 Ma) plutons have relatively homogeneous initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of approximately 0.7053 and 17.94 and 17.55, respectively. ??18O values for all the postcaldera plutons overlap those of the precaldera rocks and Amalia Tuff, except for those for two late-stage rhyolite dikes associated with the Rio Hondo pluton that have ??18O values of-8.6 and-9.5; these dikes are the only Latir rocks which may be largely crustal melts. Chemical and isotopic data from the Latir field suggest that large fluxes of mantle-derived basaltic magma are necessary for developing and sustaining large-volume volcanic centers. Development of a detailed model suggests that 6-15 km of new crust may have been added beneath the volcanic center; such an addition may result in significant changes in the chemical and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the crust, although Pb isotope ratios will remain relatively unchanged. If accompanied by assimilation, crystallization of pooled basaltic magma near the MOHO may produce substantial cumulates beneath the MOHO that generate large changes in the isotopic composition of the upper mantle. The Latir field may be similar to other large-volume, long-lived intracratonal volcanic fields that fundamentally owe their origins to extensive injection of basaltic magma into the lower parts of their magmatic systems. Such fields may overlie areas of significant crustal growth and hybridization. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Transformation of juvenile Izu-Bonin-Mariana oceanic arc into mature continental crust: An example from the Neogene Izu collision zone granitoid plutons, Central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Satoshi; Tani, Kenichiro

2017-04-01

Granitic rocks (sensulato) are major constituents of upper continental crust. Recent reviews reveal that the average composition of Phanerozoic upper continental crust is granodioritic. Although oceanic arcs are regarded as a site producing continental crust material in an oceanic setting, intermediate to felsic igneous rocks occurring in modern oceanic arcs are dominantly tonalitic to trondhjemitic in composition and have lower incompatible element contents than the average upper continental crust. Therefore, juvenile oceanic arcs require additional processes in order to get transformed into mature continental crust enriched in incompatible elements. Neogene granitoid plutons are widely exposed in the Izu Collision Zone in central Japan, where the northern end of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) arc (juvenile oceanic arc) has been colliding with the Honshu arc (mature island arc) since Middle Miocene. The plutons in this area are composed of various types of granitoids ranging from tonalite to trondhjemite, granodiorite, monzogranite and granite. Three main granitoid plutons are distributed in this area: Tanzawa plutonic complex, Kofu granitic complex, and Kaikomagatake granitoid pluton. Tanzawa plutonic complex is dominantly composed of tonalite and trondhjemite and characterized by low concentration of incompatible elements and shows geochemical similarity with modern juvenile oceanic arcs. In contrast, Kofu granitic complex and Kaikomagatake granitoid pluton consists mainly of granodiorite, monzogranite and granite and their incompatible element abundances are comparable to the average upper continental crust. Previous petrogenetic studies on these plutons suggested that (1) the Tanzawa plutonic complex formed by lower crustal anatexis of juvenile basaltic rocks occurring in the IBM arc, (2) the Kofu granitic complex formed by anatexis of 'hybrid lower crust' comprising of both basaltic rocks of the IBM arc and metasedimentary rocks of the Honshu arc, and (3) the Kaikomagatake granitoid pluton formed by anatexis of 'hybrid lower crust' consisting of K-rich rear-arc crust of the IBM arc and metasedimentary rocks of the Honshu arc. These studies collectively suggest that the chemical diversity within the Izu Collision Zone granitoid plutons reflects the chemical variation of basaltic sources (i.e., across-arc chemical variation in the IBM arc) as well as variable contribution of the metasedimentary component in the source region. The petrogenetic models of the Izu Collision Zone granitoid plutons suggest that collision with another mature arc/continent, hybrid lower crust formation and subsequent hybrid source anatexis are required for juvenile oceanic arcs to produce granitoid magmas with enriched compositions. The Izu Collision Zone granitoid plutons provide an exceptional example of the collision-induced transformation from a juvenile oceanic arc to the mature continental crust.

Recent and Hazardous Volcanic Activity Along the NW Rift Zone of Piton De La Fournaise Volcano, La Réunion Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walther, G.; Frese, I.; Di Muro, A.; Kueppers, U.; Michon, L.; Metrich, N.

2014-12-01

Shield volcanoes are a common feature of basaltic volcanism. Their volcanic activity is often confined to a summit crater area and rift systems, both characterized by constructive (scoria and cinder cones; lava flows) and destructive (pit craters; caldera collapse) phenomena. Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) shield volcano (La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean) is an ideal place to study these differences in eruptive behaviour. Besides the frequent eruptions in the central Enclos Fouqué caldera, hundreds of eruptive vents opened along three main rift zones cutting the edifice during the last 50 kyrs. Two short rift zones are characterized by weak seismicity and lateral magma transport at shallow depth (above sea level). Here we focus on the third and largest rift zone (15km wide, 20 km long), which extends in a north-westerly direction between PdF and nearby Piton des Neiges volcanic complex. It is typified by deep seismicity (up to 30 km), emitting mostly primitive magmas, testifying of high fluid pressures (up to 5 kbar) and large-volume eruptions. We present new field data (including stratigraphic logs, a geological map of the area, C-14 dating and geochemical analyses of the eruption products) on one of the youngest (~6kyrs) and largest lava field (Trous Blancs eruption). It extends for 24km from a height of 1800 m asl, passing Le Tampon and Saint Pierre cities, until reaching the coast. The source area of this huge lava flow has been identified in an alignment of four previously unidentified pit craters. The eruption initiated with intense fountaining activity, producing a m-thick bed of loose black scoria, which becomes densely welded in its upper part; followed by an alternation of volume rich lava effusions and strombolian activity, resulting in the emplacement of meter-thick, massive units of olivine-basalt alternating with coarse scoria beds in the proximal area. Activity ended with the emplacement of a dm-thick bed of glassy, dense scoria and a stratified lithic breccia, marking the pit crater foundering. Interestingly, this final stage compares well with the formation of pit craters on Kilauea volcano, Hawaii. Reoccurring of similar activity on the NW rift represents a major source of risk, for this now densely populated region (more than 150,000 people living in the affected area).

Sulfur, chlorine, and fluorine degassing and atmospheric loading by the 1783 1784 AD Laki (Skaftár Fires) eruption in Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thordarson, T.; Self, S.; Óskarsson, N.; Hulsebosch, T.

1996-09-01

The 1783 1784 Laki tholeiitic basalt fissure eruption in Iceland was one of the greatest atmospheric pollution events of the past 250 years, with widespread effects in the northern hemisphere. The degassing history and volatile budget of this event are determined by measurements of pre-eruption and residual contents of sulfur, chlorine, and fluorine in the products of all phases of the eruption. In fissure eruptions such as Laki, degassing occurs in two stages: by explosive activity or lava fountaining at the vents, and from the lava as it flows away from the vents. Using the measured sulfur concentrations in glass inclusions in phenocrysts and in groundmass glasses of quenched eruption products, we calculate that the total accumulative atmospheric mass loading of sulfur dioxide was 122 Mt over a period of 8 months. This volatile release is sufficient to have generated ˜250 Mt of H2SO4 aerosols, an amount which agrees with an independent estimate of the Laki aerosol yield based on atmospheric turbidity measurements. Most of this volatile mass (˜60 wt.%) was released during the first 1.5 months of activity. The measured chlorine and fluorine concentrations in the samples indicate that the atmospheric loading of hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid was ˜7.0 and 15.0 Mt, respectively. Furthermore, ˜75% of the volatile mass dissolved by the Laki magma was released at the vents and carried by eruption columns to altitudes between 6 and 13 km. The high degree of degassing at the vents is attributed to development of a separated two-phase flow in the upper magma conduit, and implies that high-discharge basaltic eruptions such as Laki are able to loft huge quantities of gas to altitudes where the resulting aerosols can reside for months or even 1 2 years. The atmospheric volatile contribution due to subsequent degassing of the Laki lava flow is only 18 wt.% of the total dissolved in the magma, and these emissions were confined to the lowest regions of the troposphere and therefore important only over Iceland. This study indicates that determination of the amount of sulfur degassed from the Laki magma batch by measurements of sulfur in the volcanic products (the petrologic method) yields a result which is sufficient to account for the mass of aerosols estimated by other methods.

Sulfur, Chlorine, and Flourine Degassing and Atmospheric Loading by the 1783 - 1784 AD Laki (Skaftar Fires) Eruption in Iceland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thordarson, T.; Self, S.; Hulsebosch, T.; Oskarsson, N.; McPhie, Jocelyn (Editor)

1996-01-01

The 1783-1784 Laki tholeiitic basalt fissure eruption in Iceland was one of the greatest atmospheric pollution events of the past 250 years, with widespread effects in the northern hemisphere. The degassing history and volatile budget of this event are determined by measurements of pre-eruption and residual contents of sulfur, chlorine, and fluorine in the products of all phases of the eruption. In fissure eruptions such as Laki, degassing occurs in two stages: by explosive activity or lava fountaining at the vents, and from the lava as it flows away from the vents. Using the measured sulfur concentrations in glass inclusions in phenocrysts and in groundmass glasses of quenched eruption products, we calculate that the total accumulative atmospheric mass loading of sulfur dioxide was 122 Mt over a period of 8 months. This volatile release is sufficient to have generated approximately 250 Mt of H2SO4 aerosols, an amount which agrees with an independent estimate of the Laki aerosol yield based on atmospheric turbidity measurements. Most of this volatile mass (approximately 60 wt.%) was released during the first 1.5 months of activity. The measured chlorine and fluorine concentrations in the samples indicate that the atmospheric loading of hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid was approximately 7.0 and 15.0 Mt, respectively. Furthermore, approximately 75% of the volatile mass dissolved by the Laki magma was released at the vents and carried by eruption columns to altitudes between 6 and 13 km. The high degree of degassing at the vents is attributed to development of a separated two-phase flow in the upper magma conduit, and implies that high-discharge basaltic eruptions such as Laki are able to loft huge quantities of gas to altitudes where the resulting aerosols can reside for months, or even 1-2 years. The atmospheric volatile contribution due to subsequent degassing of the Laki lava flow is only 18 wt.% of the total dissolved in the magma, and these emissions were confined to the lowest regions of the troposhere and therefore important only over Iceland. This study indicates that determination of the amount of sulfur degassed from the Laki magma batch by measurements of sulfur in the volcanic products (the petrologic method) yields a result which is sufficient to account for the mass of aerosols estimated by other methods.

Geology, tectonism and composition of the northwest Imbrium region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yunzhao; Li, Lin; Luo, Xiaoxing; Lu, Yu; Chen, Yuan; Pieters, Carle M.; Basilevsky, Alexander T.; Head, James W.

2018-03-01

The objective of this study is to explore the regional geology of the northwest Imbrium region in which the Chang'E-3 (CE-3) landing site is located. CE-3 successfully landed on December 14, 2013 on the unsampled Eratosthenian basalts whose study is important for understanding the evolution of the Moon. New geologic and structural maps of the research area were produced through the integrated analysis of diverse datasets. The highlands surrounding Imbrium differ from typical Farside Highlands Terrain (FHT). The Iridum highland region (as well as the surrounding Imbrium region) exhibits elevated concentrations of Fe, and abundant local exposures of low-Ca pyroxene and olivine bearing lithologies. In this study these highlands are named as mafic highlands (MH). Our dating results using crater size-frequency distributions (CSFDs) show that the Iridum basin (hosting Sinus Iridum) was formed ∼3.8 Ga, shortly following the Imbrium basin formation and before the last large multiringed basin, Orientale. The Eratosthenian period of lunar basalt eruptions, which lasted longer than other stratigraphic units, is suggested to divide into the Lower Eratosthenian mare (LEm) and Upper Eratosthenian mare (UEm) units. This subdivision is based on whether lava fronts can be clearly seen or not and the age separating the units is 2.35 Ga. The mafic mineralogy of the mare basalts in Imbrium is characterized by abundant olivine in the Eratosthenian-aged basalts and average pyroxene compositions near pigeonite to sub-calcic augite in the Imbrian and Em1 units. The thickness of individual lava for UEm units is 8-11 m, indicative of high effusion rates. The thickness of the Em3 unit ranges from ∼17 m to ∼45 m with lesser thickness to the west and greater thickness in the interior and to the east. The estimated volume and average flux of the Eratosthenian-aged basalts are greater than previously thought. The presence of these youngest basalts in the Procellarum-KREEP terrain (PKT) is hypothesized to be a causal relationship, with the PKT terrain reducing the thickness of the lithosphere and permitting preferential dike emplacement and extrusion there. We speculate that high-Ti and olivine-rich composition in late stage basalts may be consistent with low Si and high Ti and low degrees of partial melting. Large numbers of sinuous rilles and small ridges are identified and mapped. Many young ridges were found inside Imbrium, suggesting a very extended period (at least as young as the last 50 Ma) of the Moon's tectonic activity. The distinct compositions of both highlands and mare basalts and extended tectonism emphasize how the Imbrium basin is an important area for understanding the Moon.

Andesites from northeastern Kanaga Island, Aleutians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brophy, James G.

1990-04-01

Kanaga island is located in the central Aleutian island arc. Northeastern Kanaga is a currently active late Tertiary to Recent calc-alkaline volcanic complex. Basaltic andesite to andesite lavas record three episodes (series) of volcanic activity. Series I and Series II lavas are all andesite while Series III lavas are basaltic andesite to andesite. Four Series II andesites contain abundant quenched magmatic inclusions ranging in composition from high-MgO low-alumina basalt to low-MgO highalumina basalt. The spectrum of lava compositions is due primarily to fractional crystallization of a parental low-MgO high-alumina basalt but with variable degrees of crustal contamination and magma mixing. The earliest Series I lavas represent mixing between high-alumina basalt and silicic andesite with maximum SiO2 contents of 65 67 wt %. Later Series I and all Series II lavas are due to mixing of andesite magmas of similar composition. The maximum SiO2 content of the pre-mixed andesites magmas is estimated at 60 63 wt %. The youngest lavas (Series III) are all non-mixed and have maximum estimated SiO2 contents of 59 wt %. The earliest Series I lavas contain a significant crustal component while all later lavas do not. It is concluded that the maximum SiO2 contents of silicic magmas, the contribution of crustal material to silicic magma generation, and the role of magma mixing all decrease with time. Furthermore, silicic magmas generated by fractional crystallization at this volcanic center have a maximum SiO2 content of 63 wt %. All of these features have also been documented at the central Aleutian Cold Bay Volcanic Center (Brophy 1987). Based on data from these two centers a model of Aleutian calc-alkaline magma chamber development is proposed. The main features are: (1) a single low pressure magma chamber is continuously supplied by primitive low-alumina basalt; (2) non-primary high-alumina basalt is formed along the chamber margins by selective gravitational settling of olivine and clinopyroxene and retention of plagioclase; (3) sidewall crystallization accompanied by crustal melting produces buoyant silicic (>63 wt % SiO2) liquids that pond at the top of the chamber, and; (4) continued sidewall crystallization, now isolated from the chamber wall, produces silicic liquids with ≤63 wt % SiO2 that increase the thickness and lowers the overall SiO2 content of the upper silicic zone. It is suggested that the maximum SiO2 content of 63% imposed on fractionation-generated magmas is due to a rheological barrier that prohibits the extraction of more silicic liquids from a crystal-liquid mush along the chamber wall.

Probing the mechanism for Deep Submarine Groundwater Discharge using a Case Study in the Levant Basin (Achziv Canyon)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paldor, A.; Aharonov, E.; Katz, O.

2017-12-01

Deep Submarine Groundwater Discharge (DSGD) is a ubiquitous and highly significant phenomenon, yet it remains poorly understood. Here we use numerical modeling (FEFLOW) to investigate a case study of DSGD offshore northern Israel, aiming to unravel the main features and mechanics of steady-state DSGD: the hydrology that enables its formation, the controls on rates and salinity of seepage, and the residence time of fluid underground. In addition, we investigate the geometry of the fresh-salt water interface within the seeping offshore aquifer. The first part of this work constructs a large scale (70 km) geologic cross-section of our case-study region. The mapping suggests outcropping of confined aquifer strata (Upper Cenomanian Judea Group) on the continental shelf break, 5-15 km offshore. The second part consists of hydrological simulations of DSGD from a confined aquifer similar to the case-study aquifer. The main findings are thus: steady-state DSGD from a confined aquifer occurs far offshore even under moderate heads. It is accompanied by a circulation cell that forms around an intrinsic freshwater-seawater interface. Circulation consists of seawater entering the confined aquifer at the exposed section offshore, mixing with terrestrial groundwater within the aquifer, and seeping saline water out the upper part of the exposed section. In addition, the simulated confined aquifer displays a very flat fresh-salt water interface extending far offshore, as observed in natural offshore aquifers. Preliminary results of a hydrographic survey in the area of study suggest a low-salinity anomaly close to the seafloor, implying seepage of brines in that area, as expected from the model. These new insights have potentially important implications for coastal hydrology, seawater chemistry, biogeochemistry, and submarine slope instability.

Sources of groundwater and characteristics of surface-water recharge at Bell, White, and Suwannee Springs, Florida, 2012–13

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stamm, John F.; McBride, W. Scott

2016-12-21

Discharge from springs in Florida is sourced from aquifers, such as the Upper Floridan aquifer, which is overlain by an upper confining unit that locally can have properties of an aquifer. Water levels in aquifers are affected by several factors, such as precipitation, recharge, and groundwater withdrawals, which in turn can affect discharge from springs. Therefore, identifying groundwater sources and recharge characteristics can be important in assessing how these factors might affect flows and water levels in springs and can be informative in broader applications such as groundwater modeling. Recharge characteristics include the residence time of water at the surface, apparent age of recharge, and recharge water temperature.The groundwater sources and recharge characteristics of three springs that discharge from the banks of the Suwannee River in northern Florida were assessed for this study: Bell Springs, White Springs, and Suwannee Springs. Sources of groundwater were also assessed for a 150-foot-deep well finished within the Upper Floridan aquifer, hereafter referred to as the UFA well. Water samples were collected for geochemical analyses in November 2012 and October 2013 from the three springs and the UFA well. Samples were analyzed for a suite of major ions, dissolved gases, and isotopes of sulfur, strontium, oxygen, and hydrogen. Daily means of water level and specific conductance at White Springs were continuously recorded from October 2012 through December 2013 by the Suwannee River Water Management District. Suwannee River stage at White Springs was computed on the basis of stage at a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage about 2.4 miles upstream. Water levels in two wells, located about 2.5 miles northwest and 13 miles southeast of White Springs, were also used in the analyses.Major ion concentrations were used to differentiate water from the springs and Upper Floridan aquifer into three groups: Bell Springs, UFA well, and White and Suwannee Springs. When considered together, evidence from water-level, specific conductance, major-ion concentration, and isotope data indicated that groundwater at Bell Springs and the UFA well was a mixture of surface water and groundwater from the upper confining unit, and that groundwater at White and Suwannee Springs was a mixture of surface water, groundwater from the upper confining unit, and groundwater from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Higher concentrations of magnesium in groundwater samples at the UFA well than in samples at Bell Springs might indicate less mixing with surface water at the UFA well than at Bell Springs. Characteristics of surface-water recharge, such as residence time at the surface, apparent age, and recharge water temperature, were estimated on the basis of isotopic ratios, and dissolved concentrations of gases such as argon, tritium, and sulfur hexafluoride. Oxygen and deuterium isotopic ratios were consistent with rapid recharge by rainwater for samples collected in 2012, and longer residence time at the surface (ponding) for samples collected in 2013. Apparent ages of groundwater samples, computed on the basis of tritium activity and sulfur hexafluoride concentration, indicated groundwater recharge occurred after the late 1980s; however, the estimated apparent ages likely represent the average of ages of multiple sources. Recharge since the 1980s is consistent with groundwater from shallow sources, such as the upper confining unit and Upper Floridan aquifer. Recharge water temperature computed for the three springs and UFA well averaged 20.1 degrees Celsius, which is similar to the mean annual air temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius at a nearby weather station for 1960–2014.

Origin of the ca. 50 Ma Linzizong shoshonitic volcanic rocks in the eastern Gangdese arc, southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, An-Lin; Wang, Qing; Zhu, Di-Cheng; Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Liu, Sheng-Ao; Wang, Rui; Dai, Jin-Gen; Zheng, Yuan-Chuan; Zhang, Liang-Liang

2018-04-01

The origin of the Eocene shoshonitic rocks within the upper part of the extensive Linzizong volcanic succession (i.e., the Pana Formation) in the Gangdese arc, southern Tibet remains unclear, inhibiting the detailed investigations on the crust-mantle interaction and mantle dynamics that operate the generation of the coeval magmatic flare-up in the arc. We report mineral composition, zircon U-Pb age and zircon Hf isotope, whole-rock element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope data for the Pana Formation volcanic rocks from Pangduo, eastern Gangdese arc in southern Tibet. The Pana volcanic rocks from Pangduo include basalts, basaltic andesites, and dacites. SIMS and LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the Pangduo dacites were erupted at 50 ± 1 Ma, representing the volcanic equivalent of the coeval Gangdese Batholith that define a magmatic flare-up at 51 ± 1 Ma. The Pangduo volcanic rocks are exclusively shoshonitic, differing from typical subduction-related calc-alkaline volcanic rocks. The basalts have positive whole-rock ƐNd(t) (+1.7) and ƐHf(t) (+3.8) with high Zr abundances (121-169 ppm) and Zr/Y ratios (4.3-5.2), most likely derived from the partial melting of an enriched garnet-bearing lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subduction-related components with input from asthenosphere. Compared to the basalts, similar trace elemental patterns and decreased whole-rock ƐNd(t) (-3.5 to -3.3) and ƐHf(t) (-2.5 to -1.6) of the basaltic andesites can be attributed to the input of the ancient basement-derived material of the central Lhasa subterrane into the basaltic magmas. The coherent whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7064-0.7069, ƐNd(t) = -6.0 to -5.2, ƐHf(t) = -5.6 to -5.0) and varying zircon ƐHf(t) (-6.0 to +4.1) of the dacites can be interpreted by the partial melting of a hybrid lower crust source (juvenile and ancient lower crust) with incorporation of basement-derived components. Calculations of zircon-Ti temperature and whole-rock zircon saturation temperature of the dacites, and clinopyroxene crystallization temperature of the basalts suggest that the Pangduo volcanic rocks are most likely derived from the high-temperature melting of the lithosphere (including lithospheric mantle and overlying continental crust) as a result of the slab breakoff of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere.

Using Calcium Isotopic Composition of Calcium Carbonate Veins to Assess the Roles of Vein Formation and Seafloor Alteration in Regulation of the Carbon Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, F.; Coggon, R. M.; Teagle, D. A. H.; Turchyn, A. V.

2016-12-01

Calcium carbonate vein formation in the oceanic crust has been proposed as a climate-sensitive feedback mechanism that regulates the carbon cycle on million-year timescales. The suggestion has been that higher pCO2 levels may drive changes in ocean temperature and pH that increase seafloor alteration, releasing more calcium from oceanic basalt. This results in more removal of carbon from Earth's surface through calcium carbonate formation, which includes calcium carbonate vein formation in oceanic crust. The importance of this feedback mechanism remains enigmatic. Measurements of the δ44Ca of calcium carbonate veins in the oceanic crust may constrain the sources of calcium and timing of vein formation. Seawater and basalt are the only sources present shortly after crustal formation, whereas other sources, such as anhydrite dissolution and sedimentary carbonates become available when the crust ages, at which point carbonate veins may form far from the ridge axis. We report the calcium isotopic composition of 65 calcium carbonate veins, ranging from 108 to 1.2 million years old, in hydrothermally altered basalt from the Mid-Atlantic and Juan de Fuca ridges. We also present 43 δ44Ca measurements of 5.9 million year old basalts and dikes from the Costa Rica Rift that have undergone hydrothermal alteration over a range of conditions in upper crust. The δ44Ca of the calcium carbonate veins ranges from -1.59 to 1.01‰ (versus Bulk Silicate Earth), whereas the δ44Ca of altered basalts ranges from -0.18 to 0.28‰. Depth and temperature of formation seem to be major influences on calcium carbonate vein δ44Ca, with veins formed at cool, shallower depths having higher δ44Ca, closer to seawater. In contrast, we note no temporal variation in δ44Ca of calcium carbonate veins when comparing samples from older and younger crust. The majority of veins (54 out of 65) have δ44Ca between that of seawater and basalt, which implies that they may have formed quite soon after crustal formation before other sources of calcium became available. We conclude that calcium carbonate vein formation may derive a significant fraction of calcium from seafloor alteration of basalts. This may cause rates of carbonate vein formation to be sensitive to aspects of ocean chemistry that vary due to changing climate conditions.

CO2: Adsorption on palagonite and the Martian regolith

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zent, Aaron P.; Fanale, Fraser P.; Postawko, Susan E.

1987-01-01

Possible scenarios for the evolution of the Martian climate are discussed. In the interest of determining an upper limit on the absorptive capacity of the Martian regolith, researchers examined the results of Fanale and Cannon (1971, 1974) for CO2 adsorption on nontronite and basalt. There appeared to be a strong proportionality between the capacity of the absorbent and its specific surface area. A model of the Martian climate is given that allows the researchers to make some estimates of exchangeable CO2 abundances.

Insights into the petrogenesis of low- and high-Ti basalts: Stratigraphy and geochemistry of four lava sequences from the central Paraná basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Min, Angelo; Callegaro, Sara; Marzoli, Andrea; Nardy, Antonio J.; Chiaradia, Massimo; Marques, Leila S.; Gabbarrini, Ilaria

2018-04-01

Lava flow sequences were sampled in the central part of the Paraná basin aiming to verify the time-related evolution of the Paraná basaltic magmatism. It is shown that low- and high-Ti basalts were erupted synchronously. In particular, Esmeralda and Pitanga flows are interlayered, with the former prevailing in the upper part of the sequence. Evidence for synchronously active magma plumbing systems is also supported by mineralogical data, showing signs of mixing between the two groups. Geochemical data, including Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions are furthermore used to define the mantle source of various low- (Esmeralda and Gramado) and high-Ti (Pitanga and Urubici) magma types. Involvement of a carbonatitic component is proposed for the genesis of the basalts (particularly for the Urubici ones) as suggested by trace element enrichments unrelated to significant isotopic variations. This carbonatitic signature of the mantle source may be conveyed by CO2-rich metasomatic fluids or melts percolating upwards within the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) leading to rapid and selective enrichment of incompatible trace elements. Metasomatism was probably localized at the outskirts of the basin, were Urubici tholeiites and contemporaneous carbonatites were erupted. Geochemical data also suggest the occurrence of significant amounts of crustal contamination in the LTi magmas (mainly in the Gramado and in the late Esmeralda lavas) while crustal assimilation seems negligible in the HTi samples. Globally, a very complex picture arises for the genesis of the Paraná tholeiites, with near-synchronous and geographically coincident flows undergoing significantly different extents of interaction with the crust and tapping different mantle sources.

Enriched continental flood basalts from depleted mantle melts: modeling the lithospheric contamination of Karoo lavas from Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Jussi S.; Luttinen, Arto V.; Bohrson, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

Continental flood basalts (CFBs) represent large-scale melting events in the Earth's upper mantle and show considerable geochemical heterogeneity that is typically linked to substantial contribution from underlying continental lithosphere. Large-scale partial melting of the cold subcontinental lithospheric mantle and the large amounts of crustal contamination suggested by traditional binary mixing or assimilation-fractional crystallization models are difficult to reconcile with the thermal and compositional characteristics of continental lithosphere, however. The well-exposed CFBs of Vestfjella, western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, belong to the Jurassic Karoo large igneous province and provide a prime locality to quantify mass contributions of lithospheric and sublithospheric sources for two reasons: (1) recently discovered CFB dikes show isotopic characteristics akin to mid-ocean ridge basalts, and thus help to constrain asthenospheric parental melt compositions and (2) the well-exposed basaltic lavas have been divided into four different geochemical magma types that exhibit considerable trace element and radiogenic isotope heterogeneity (e.g., initial ɛ Nd from -16 to +2 at 180 Ma). We simulate the geochemical evolution of Vestfjella CFBs using (1) energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallization equations that account for heating and partial melting of crustal wall rock and (2) assimilation-fractional crystallization equations for lithospheric mantle contamination by using highly alkaline continental volcanic rocks (i.e., partial melts of mantle lithosphere) as contaminants. Calculations indicate that the different magma types can be produced by just minor (1-15 wt%) contamination of asthenospheric parental magmas by melts from variable lithospheric reservoirs. Our models imply that the role of continental lithosphere as a CFB source component or contaminant may have been overestimated in many cases. Thus, CFBs may represent major juvenile crustal growth events rather than just recycling of old lithospheric materials.

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

Kurz, M.D.; O'Brien, P.A.; Garcia, M.O.

Helium isotope ratios in basalts spanning the subaerial eruptive history of Mauna Loa and Haleakala vary systematically with eruption age. In both volcanoes, olivine mineral separates from the oldest samples have the highest {sup 3}He/{sup 4}he ratios. The Haleakala samples studied range in age from roughly one million years to historic time, while the Mauna Loa samples are radiocarbon dated flows younger than 30,000 years old. The Honomanu tholeiites are the oldest samples from Haleakala and have {sup 3}He/{sup 4}he ratios that range from 13 to 16.8X atmospheric, while the younger Kula and Hana series alkali basalts all have {supmore » 3}He/{sup 4}He close to 8X atmospheric. A similar range is observed on Manua Loa; the oldest samples have {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He ratios of 15 to 20X atmospheric, with a relatively smooth decrease to 8X atmospheric with decreasing age. The consistent trend of decreasing {sup 3}He/{sup 4}he ratio with time in both volcanoes, coherence between the helium and Sr and Nd isotopes (for Haleakala), and the similarity of {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He in the late stage basalts to depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) helium, argue against the decrease being the result of radiogenic ingrowth of {sup 4}He. The data strongly suggest an undegassed mantle source for the early shield building stages of Hawaiian volcanism, and are consistent with the hotspot/mantle plume model. The data are difficult to reconcile with models for Hawaiian volcanism that require recycled oceanic crust or derivation from a MORB-related upper mantle source. The authors interpret the decrease in {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He with volcano evolution to result from an increasing involvement of depleted mantle and/or lithosphere during the late stages of Hawaiian volcanism.« less

Lithostratigraphy and volcanology of the Serra Geral Group, Paraná-Etendeka Igneous Province in Southern Brazil: Towards a formal stratigraphical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossetti, Lucas; Lima, Evandro F.; Waichel, Breno L.; Hole, Malcolm J.; Simões, Matheus S.; Scherer, Claiton M. S.

2018-04-01

The volcanic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Paraná-Etendeka Igneous Province, in Brazil, are grouped in the Serra Geral Group. The province can be chemically divided into low-TiO2, and high-TiO2. In southern Brazil, the low-TiO2 lava pile reaches a thickness of 1 km and is formed of heterogeneous lava packages here divided into four lava formations. Torres Formation (TF) is characterized by chemically more primitive basaltic (> 5 wt% MgO) compound pahoehoe flow fields; these lavas stratigraphically overly aeolian sandstones of Botucatu Formation and represent the onset of the volcanic activity. Vale do Sol Formation (VSF) groups vertically stacked sheet-like rubbly pahoehoe basaltic andesites (SiO2 > 51 wt%; MgO < 5 wt%). These lavas covered the former basalts in the Torres Syncline axis and pinch out towards southwest and represent the most voluminous mafic lava flows. Dacites and rhyolites of Palmas Formation (PF) overlay VSF flows in the central and eastern outcrop area and rest directly upon TF lavas in the west. The acidic units were emplaced as lava domes and widespread tabular lava flows. Esmeralda Formation (EF) is the upper stratigraphic unit and it is formed by a basaltic pahoehoe flow field emplaced during the waning phase of volcanic activity of the low-TiO2 lava sequence. Sedimentary interbeds are preserved throughout the whole lava pile and were deposited during quiescence periods of volcanic activity, and represent important stratigraphic markers (e.g. TF-VSF contact). The newly proposed stratigraphy provides promptly recognized stratigraphic units in a regional framework of fundamental importance for future correlations and provide vital information in the understanding of how the Paraná-Etendeka Igneous Province evolved through time.

New 40Ar-39Ar dating of Lower Cretaceous basalts at the southern front of the Central High Atlas, Morocco: insights on late Mesozoic tectonics, sedimentation and magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moratti, G.; Benvenuti, M.; Santo, A. P.; Laurenzi, M. A.; Braschi, E.; Tommasini, S.

2018-04-01

This study is based upon a stratigraphic and structural revision of a Middle Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous mostly continental succession exposed between Boumalne Dades and Tinghir (Southern Morocco), and aims at reconstructing the relation among sedimentary, tectonic and magmatic processes that affected a portion of the Central High Atlas domains. Basalts interbedded in the continental deposits have been sampled in the two studied sites for petrographic, geochemical and radiogenic isotope analyses. The results of this study provide: (1) a robust support to the local stratigraphic revision and to a regional lithostratigraphic correlation based on new 40Ar-39Ar ages (ca. 120 Ma) of the intervening basalts; (2) clues for reconstructing the relation between magma emplacement in a structural setting characterized by syn-depositional crustal shortening pre-dating the convergent tectonic inversion of the Atlasic rifted basins; (3) a new and intriguing scenario indicating that the Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous basalts of the Central High Atlas could represent the first signal of the present-day Canary Islands mantle plume impinging, flattening, and delaminating the base of the Moroccan continental lithosphere since the Jurassic, and successively dragged passively by the Africa plate motion to NE. The tectono-sedimentary and magmatic events discussed in this paper are preliminarily extended from their local scale into a peculiar geodynamic setting of a continental plate margin flanked by the opening and spreading Central Atlantic and NW Tethys oceans. It is suggested that during the late Mesozoic this setting created an unprecedented condition of intraplate stress for concurrent crustal shortening, related mountain uplift, and thinning of continental lithosphere.

´Áā lava flows in the Deccan Volcanic Province, India, and their significance for the nature of continental flood basalt eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Richard J.; Blake, S.; Bondre, N. R.; Phadnis, V. M.; Self, S.

2011-08-01

Newly identified ´áā lava flows outcrop intermittently over an area of ~110 km2 in the western Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), India. They occur in the upper Thakurvadi Formation in the region south of Sangamner. The flows, one of which is compound, are 15-25 m thick, and exhibit well-developed basal and flow-top breccias. The lavas have microcrystalline groundmasses and are porphyritic or glomerocrystic and contain phenocrysts of olivine, clinopyroxene or plagioclase feldspar. They are chemically similar to compound pāhoehoe flows at a similar stratigraphic horizon along the Western Ghats. Petrographic and geochemical differences between ´áā flows at widely spaced outcrops at the same stratigraphic horizon suggest that they are the product of several eruptions, potentially from different sources. Their presence in the DVP could suggest relative proximity to vents. This discovery is significant because ´áā lavas are generally scarce in large continental flood basalt provinces, which typically consist of numerous inflated compound pāhoehoe lobes and sheet lobes. Their scarcity is intriguing, and may relate to either their occurrence only in poorly preserved or exposed proximal areas or to the flat plateau-like topography of flood basalt provinces that may inhibit channelization and ´áā formation, or both. In this context, the ´áā flow fields described here are inferred to be the products of eruptions that produced unusually high-effusion-rate lavas compared to typical flood basalt eruptions. Whether these phases were transitional to lower intensity, sustained eruptions that fed extensive low effusion rate pāhoehoe flow fields remains unclear.

Stratigraphy and structural evolution of southern Mare Serenitatis: A reinterpretation based on Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment data

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

Sharpton, V.L.; Head, J.W. III

1982-12-10

The Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment (ALSE) detected two subsurface reflecting horizons in southern Mare Serenitatis. These horizons appear to be regolith layers, >2 m thick, which correlate with major stratigraphic boundaries in southeastern Mare Serenitatis. Our analysis differs from previous interpretations and implies that the lower horizon represents the interface between the earliest mare unit (unit I; approx.3.8 b.y.) and the modified Serenitatis basin material below. The upper horizon represents the regolith developed by sustained impact bombardment of the unit I surface prior to the emplacement of the intermediate basalts (unit II; approx.3.5 b.y.). The latest volcanic episode (unit III;more » approx.3.2 b.y.) resulted in a very thin infilling (<400 m deep) in the southern portion of the basin and was undetected by ALSE. Profiles of the stratigraphic surfaces represented by the ALSE reflecting horizons are reconstructed for three stages in the basin filling history. These reconstructions permit the timing and magnitude of various volcanic and tectonic events within the Serenitatis basin to be assessed. On the basis of comparison with Orientale ring topography, the large subsurface arch is interpreted to be the peak-ring-related topography of the Serenitatis basin. The thickness of mare basalts across the ALSE ground track is highly variable: basalts are <400 m thick above the peak ring, while they reach a maximum thickness of approx.2.5 km in the depression between the first and second basin rings. Comparison with Orientale topography suggests that a major increase in basalt thickness of approx.6 km may occur approx.50 km inside the peak ring.« less

Hydrogeology and chemical quality of water and soil at Carroll Island, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tenbus, F.J.; Phillips, S.W.

1996-01-01

Carroll Island was used for open-air testing of chemical warfare agents from the late 1940's until 1971. Testing and disposal activities weresuspected of causing environmental contamination at 16 sites on the island. The hydrogeology and chemical quality of ground water, surface water, and soil at these sites were investigated with borehole logs, environmental samples, water-level measurements, and hydrologic tests. A surficial aquifer, upper confining unit, and upper confined aquifer were defined. Ground water in the surficial aquifer generally flows from the east-central part of the island toward the surface-water bodies, butgradient reversals caused by evapotranspiration can occur during dry seasons. In the confined aquifer, hydraulic gradients are low, and hydraulic head is affected by tidal loading and by seasonal pumpage from the west. Inorganic chemistry in the aquifers is affected by brackish-water intrusion from gradient reversals and by dissolution ofcarboniferous shell material in the confining unit.The concentrations of most inorganic constituents probably resulted from natural processes, but some concentrations exceeded Federal water-quality regulations and criteria. Organic compounds were detected in water and soil samples at maximum concentrations of 138 micrograms per liter (thiodiglycol in surface water) and 12 micrograms per gram (octadecanoic acid in soil).Concentrations of organic compounds in ground water exceeded Federal drinking-water regulations at two sites. The organic compounds that weredetected in environmental samples were variously attributed to natural processes, laboratory or field- sampling contamination, fallout from industrial air pollution, and historical military activities.

Nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Yant, Howard W.; Stinebiser, Karl W.; Anzur, Gregory C.

1977-01-01

A nuclear reactor, particularly a liquid-metal breeder reactor, whose upper internals include outlet modules for channeling the liquid-metal coolant from selected areas of the outlet of the core vertically to the outlet plenum. The modules are composed of a highly-refractory, high corrosion-resistant alloy, for example, INCONEL-718. Each module is disposed to confine and channel generally vertically the coolant emitted from a subplurality of core-component assemblies. Each module has a grid with openings, each opening disposed to receive the coolant from an assembly of the subplurality. The grid in addition serves as a holdown for the assemblies of the corresponding subplurality preventing their excessive ejection upwardly from the core. In the region directly over the core the outlet modules are of such peripheral form that they nest forming a continuum over the core-component assemblies whose outlet coolant they confine. Each subassembly includes a chimney which confines the coolant emitted by its corresponding subassemblies to generally vertical flow between the outlet of the core and the outlet plenum. Each subplurality of assemblies whose emitted coolant is confined by an outlet module includes assemblies which emit lower-temperature coolant, for example, a control-rod assembly, or fertile assemblies, and assemblies which emit coolant of substantially higher temperature, for example, fuel-rod assemblies. The coolants of different temperatures are mixed in the chimneys reducing the effect of stripping (hot-cold temperature fluctuations) on the remainder of the upper internals which are composed typically of AISI-304 or AISI-316 stainless steel.

Well sealing via thermite reactions

DOEpatents

Lowry, William Edward; Dunn, Sandra Dalvit

2016-11-15

A platform is formed in a well below a target plug zone by lowering a thermite reaction charge into the well and igniting it, whereby the products of the reaction are allowed to cool and expand to form a platform or support in the well. A main thermite reaction charge is placed above the platform and ignited to form a main sealing plug for the well. In some embodiments an upper plug is formed by igniting an upper thermite reaction charge above the main thermite reaction charge. The upper plug confines the products of ignition of the main thermite reaction charge.

Cooling of the Earth in the Archaean: Consequences of pressure-release melting in a hotter mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlaar, N. J.; van Keken, P. E.; van den Berg, A. P.

1994-01-01

A model is presented to describe the cooling of the Earth in the Archaean. At the higher Archaean mantle temperatures pressure-release melting starts deeper and generates a thicker basaltic or komatiitic crust and depleted harzburgite layer compared with the present-day situation. Intrinsic compositional stability and lack of mechanical coherency renders the mechanism of plate tectonics ineffective. It is proposed that the Archaean continents stabilised early on top of a compositionally stratified root. In the Archaean oceanic lithosphere, hydrated upper crust can founder and recycle through its high-pressure phase eclogite. Eclogite remelting and new pressure-release melting generates new crustal material. Migration of magma and latent heat release by solidification at the surface provides an efficient mechanism to cool the mantle by several hundreds of degrees during the Archaean. This can satisfactorily explain the occurrence of high extrusion temperature komatiites and lower extrusion temperature basalts in greenstone belts as being derived from the same source by different mechanisms.

Geology of the Bir Nifazi Quadrangle, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, James E.; Bosch, Paul S.

1990-01-01

A north-trending, 10-km-long belt of gossans crops out within the ophiolite beneath the upper-basalt sequence at Jabal Mardah. Reconnaissance drilling indicates that one of the larger gossans is underlain by a steeply dipping, 15-m-thick, sulfide-rich volcanic wacke that averages 1 percent nickel locally. The ore is composed of pyrite, millerite, polydymite, and minor sphalerite that fill interstices between clasts of the wacke and are intimately intergrown with quartz and nickel-rich epidote and chlorite. These textures and assemblages suggest that the sulfides crystallized in situ from infiltrating hydrothermal fluids. Tuffs and basalt flows appear to have acted as impermeable barriers that channeled the hydrothermal fluids through the more permeable wacke where sulfides were deposited. Carbonate-replaced serpentinized peridotite at the base of the ophiolite is considered a potential source for the nickel. In contrast to most nickel deposits, the mineralized rocks at Jabal Mardah have extremely high Ni/Cu (130 to 260) and negligible concentrations (< 5 ppb) of platinum-group elements.

Austin chalk yields oil near basaltic cone

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

Not Available

1990-09-03

This paper reports on the completion of a Cretaceous Austin chalk horizontal oil well near a basaltic cone in the Uvalde volcanic field area of Dimmit County, Tex. The well is the HDP Inc. 1 autumn Unit, about 9 miles northeast to Carrizo Springs HDP, which stands for horizontal development and production, of Palo Alto, Calif., drilled the well on a farmout from American Exploration Co., Houston. It initially pumped and flowed 1,600 b/d of oil without stimulation from openhole. HDP drilled about 1,500 ft of horizontal and deviated hole in Austin chalk B-1, the producing horizon. Production in latemore » August was about 500 b/d of oil, pending determination of proration unit size and allowable. The well, in the greater Pearsall field Austin chalk play along the Dimmit-Savala county line, is the first horizontal chalk producer in Elaine field. The field has produced mainly from Escondido sand, Olmos sand and Anacacho limestone, all in the Upper Cretaceous.« less

Geophysical Signatures to Monitor Fluids and Mineralization for CO2 Sequestration in Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otheim, L. T.; Adam, L.; Van Wijk, K.; Batzle, M. L.; Mcling, T. L.; Podgorney, R. K.

2011-12-01

Carbon dioxide sequestration in large reservoirs can reduce emissions of this green house gas into the atmosphere. Basalts are promising host rocks due to their volumetric extend, worldwide distribution, and recent observations that CO2-water mixtures react with basalt minerals to precipitate as carbonate minerals, trapping the CO2. The chemical reaction between carbonic acid and minerals rich in calcium, magnesium and iron precipitates carbonates in the pore space. This process would increase the elastic modulus and velocity of the rock. At the same time, the higher compressibility of CO2 over water changes the elastic properties of the rock, decreasing the saturated rock bulk modulus and the P-wave velocity. Reservoirs where the rock properties change as a result of fluid or pressure changes are commonly monitored with seismic methods. Here we present experiments to study the feasibility of monitoring CO2 migration in a reservoir and CO2-rock reactions for a sequestration scenario in basalts. Our goal is to measure the rock's elastic response to mineralization with non-contacting ultrasonic lasers, and the effect of fluid substitution at reservoir conditions at seismic and ultrasonic frequencies. For the fluid substitution experiment we observe changes in the P- and S-wave velocities when saturating the sample with super-critical (sc) CO2, CO2-water mixtures and water alone for different pore and confining pressures. The bulk modulus of the rock is significantly dependent on frequency in the 2~to 106~Hz range, for CO2-water mixtures and pure water saturations. Dry and pure CO2 (sc or gas) do not show a frequency dependence on the modulus. Moreover, the shear wave modulus is not dispersive for either fluid. The frequency dependence of the elastic parameters is related to the attenuation (1/Q) of the rock. We will show the correlation between frequency dependent moduli and attenuation data for the different elastic moduli of the rocks. Three other basalt samples were stored in a pressure chamber with a sc CO2-water solution to study the effect of mineralization on the elastic properties of the rock. The rock elastic properties are recorded with non-contacting ultrasonic lasers at room conditions. After 15 weeks the first post-mineralization scan showed differences in the rock velocities with respect to the pre-mineralization scan. The analysis is done through coda wave interferometry and direct arrivals. The samples were inserted back into the pressure vessel for continuing mineralization and subsequent scans. Finally, we will discuss the applicability of Gassmann's equation and how the combination of mineralization together with CO2-water mixture affects the velocity of waves in basalt rocks.

Ancient mantle in a modern arc: osmium isotopes in izu-bonin-mariana forearc peridotites

PubMed

Parkinson; Hawkesworth; Cohen

1998-09-25

Mantle peridotites drilled from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana forearc have unradiogenic 187Os/188Os ratios (0.1193 to 0.1273), which give Proterozoic model ages of 820 to 1230 million years ago. If these peridotites are residues from magmatism during the initiation of subduction 40 to 48 million years ago, then the mantle that melted was much more depleted in incompatible elements than the source of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). This result indicates that osmium isotopes record information about ancient melting events in the convecting upper mantle not recorded by incompatible lithophile isotope tracers. Subduction zones may be a graveyard for ancient depleted mantle material, and portions of the convecting upper mantle may be less radiogenic in osmium isotopes than previously recognized.

Global petrologic variations on the moon: a ternary-diagram approach.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, P.A.; Spudis, P.D.

1987-01-01

A ternary-diagram approach for determination of global petrologic variations on the lunar surface is presented that incorporates valuable improvements in our previous method of using geochemical variation diagrams. Our results are as follows: 1) the highlands contain large areas of relatively pure ferroan anorthosite; 2) the average composition of the upper lunar crust is represented by an 'anorthositic gabbro' composition; 3) KREEP/Mg-suite rocks are a minor fraction of the upper lunar crust; 4) within the farside highlands, areas of KREEP/Mg-suite rocks coincide mostly with areas of crustal thinning; 5) portions of the E limb and farside highlands have considerable amounts of a mafic, chondritic Th/Ti component (like mare basalt) whose occurrences coincide with mapped concentrations of light plains that display dark-halo craters.- from Authors

A Glass Spherule of Questionable Impact Origin from the Apollo 15 Landing Site: Unique Target Mare Basalt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryder, Graham; Delano, John W.; Warren, Paul H.; Kallemeyn, Gregory W.; Dalrymple, G. Brent

1996-01-01

A 6 mm-diameter dark spherule, 15434,28, from the regolith on the Apennine Front at the Apollo 15 landing site has a homogeneous glass interior with a 200 microns-thick rind of devitrified or crystallized melt. The rind contains abundant small fragments of Apollo 15 olivine-normative mare basalt and rare volcanic Apollo 15 green glass. The glass interior of the spherule has the chemical composition, including a high FeO content and high CaO/Al2O3, of a mare basalt. Whereas the major element and Sc, Ni, and Co abundances are similar to those of low-Ti mare basalts, the incompatible elements and Sr abundances are similar to those of high-Ti mare basaits. The relative abundance patterns of the incompatible trace elements are distinct from any other lunar mare basalts or KREEP; among these distinctions are a much steeper slope of the heavy rare earth elements. The 15434,28 glass has abundances of the volatile element Zn consistent with both impact glasses and crystalline mare basalts, but much lower than in glasses of mare volcanic origin. The glass contains siderophile elements such as Ir in abundances only slightly higher than accepted lunar indigenous levels, and some, such as Au, are just below such upper limits. The age of the glass, determined by the Ar-40/Ar-39 laser incremental heating technique, is 1647 +/- 11 Ma (2 sigma); it is expressed as an age spectrum of seventeen steps over 96% of the Ar-38 released, unusual for an impact glass. Trapped argon is negligible. The undamaged nature of the sphere demonstrates that it must have spent most of its life buried in regolith; Ar-38 cosmic ray exposure data suggest that it was buried at less than 2m but more than a few centimeters if a single depth is appropriate. That the spherule solidified to a glass is surprising; for such a mare composition, cooling at about 50 C/s is required to avoid crystallization, and barely attainable in such a large spherule. The low volatile abundances, slightly high siderophile abundances, and the young age are perhaps all most consistent with an impact origin, but nonetheless not absolutely definitive.

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

Scott M. White Dept. Geological Sciences University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208; Joy A. Crisp Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91109; Frank J. Spera Dept. Earth Science University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106

A global compilation of 170 time-averaged volumetric volcanic output rates (Qe) is evaluated in terms of composition and petrotectonic setting to advance the understanding of long-term rates of magma generation and eruption on Earth. Repose periods between successive eruptions at a given site and intrusive:extrusive ratios were compiled for selected volcanic centers where long-term (>104 years) data were available. More silicic compositions, rhyolites and andesites, have a more limited range of eruption rates than basalts. Even when high Qe values contributed by flood basalts (9 ± 2 Å~ 10-1 km3/yr) are removed, there is a trend in decreasing average Qemore » with lava composition from basaltic eruptions (2.6 ± 1.0 Å~ 10-2 km3/yr) to andesites (2.3 ± 0.8 Å~ 10-3 km3/yr) and rhyolites (4.0 ± 1.4 Å~ 10-3 km3/yr). This trend is also seen in the difference between oceanic and continental settings, as eruptions on oceanic crust tend to be predominately basaltic. All of the volcanoes occurring in oceanic settings fail to have statistically different mean Qe and have an overall average of 2.8 ± 0.4 Å~ 10-2 km3/yr, excluding flood basalts. Likewise, all of the volcanoes on continental crust also fail to have statistically different mean Qe and have an overall average of 4.4 ± 0.8 Å~ 10-3 km3/yr. Flood basalts also form a distinctive class with an average Qe nearly two orders of magnitude higher than any other class. However, we have found no systematic evidence linking increased intrusive:extrusive ratios with lower volcanic rates. A simple heat balance analysis suggests that the preponderance of volcanic systems must be open magmatic systems with respect to heat and matter transport in order to maintain eruptible magma at shallow depth throughout the observed lifetime of the volcano. The empirical upper limit of Å`10-2 km3/yr for magma eruption rate in systems with relatively high intrusive:extrusive ratios may be a consequence of the fundamental parameters governing rates of melt generation (e.g., subsolidus isentropic decompression, hydration due to slab dehydration and heat transfer between underplated magma and the overlying crust) in the Earth« less

Potentiometric surface of the upper Floridan aquifer, west-central Florida, May 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, Anita G.

2011-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2011. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when groundwater levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 45.74 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2010 through May 2011) was 6.85 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.59 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2011). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September from 1975 through 2010. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period May 23-27, 2011. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a "snapshot" of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal low water-level condition.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-central Florida, May 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2010-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2010. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when groundwater levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 55.21 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2009 through May 2010) was 2.55 inches above the historical cumulative average of 52.66 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2010). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period May 17-21, 2010. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal low water-level condition.

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

Hagstrum, J.T.

Paleomagnetic data are presented for a 50-m-thick sequence of Oxfordian to Tithonian sedimentary rocks conformably overlying Upper Jurassic pillow basalt within the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California. These new data are similar in direction and polarity to previously published paleomagnetic data for the pillow basalt. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks were deposited during a mixed-polarity interval of the geomagnetic field, and uniformity of the remanent magnetization within the entire section of pillow basalt and sedimentary rocks indicates later remagnetization. Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite is interpreted to have occurred during accretion to the continental margin, possibly by burialmore » and low-temperature alteration related to this event. Similar paleolatitudes calculated for the ophiolite (11{degree} {plus minus} 3{degree}) and for mid-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Stanley Mountain terrane at Figueroa Mountain (6{degree} {plus minus} 5{degree}) are consistent with remagnetization of the ophiolite in southern California and elsewhere along the Pacific coast imply that these rocks were also overprinted, and their magnetic inclinations suggest remagnetization at low paleolatitudes as well. The Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain is thus inferred to have been remagnetized along the North American margin near 10{degree}N paleolatitude between earliest and mid-Cretaceous time and subsequently transported northward by strike-slip faulting related to relative motions between the Farallon, Kula, Pacific, and North American plates.« less

Origin and Evolution of the Moon: Apollo 2000 Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, H. H.

1999-01-01

A descriptive formulation of the stages of lunar evolution as an augmentation of the traditional time-stratigraphic approach [21 enables broadened multidisciplinary discussions of issues related to the Moon and planets. An update of this descriptive formulation [3], integrating Apollo and subsequently acquired data, provides additional perspectives on many of the outstanding issues in lunar science. (Stage 1): Beginning (Pre-Nectarian) - 4.57 Ga; (Stage 2): Magma Ocean (Pre-Nectarian) - 4.57-4.2(?) Ga; (Stage 3:) Cratered Highlands (Pre-Nectarian) - 4.4(?) 4.2(?) Ga (Stage 4:) Large Basins - (Pre-Nectarian - Upper Imbrium) 4.3(?)-3.8 Ga; (Stage 4A:) Old Large Basins and Crustal Strengthening (Pre Nectarian) - 4.3(?)-3.92 Ga; (Stage 4B): Young Large Basins (Nectarian - Lower Imbrium) 3.92-3.80 Ga; (Stage 5): Basaltic Maria (Upper Imbrium) - 4.3(?)- 1.0(?) Ga; (Stage 6): Mature Surface (Copernican and Eratosthenian) - 3.80 Ga to Present. Increasingly strong indications of a largely undifferentiated lower lunar mantle and increasingly constrained initial conditions for models of an Earth-impact origin for the Moon suggest that lunar origin by capture of an independently evolved planet should be investigated more vigorously. Capture appears to better explain the geochemical and geophysical details related to the lower mantle of the Moon and to the distribution of elements and their isotopes. For example, the source of the volatile components of the Apollo 17 orange glass apparently would have lain below the degassed and differentiated magma ocean (3) in a relatively undifferentiated primordial lower mantle. Also, a density reversal from 3.7 gm/cubic cm to approximately 3.3 gm/cubic cm is required at the base of the upper mantle to be consistent with the overall density of the Moon. Finally, Hf/W systematics allow only a very narrow window, if any at all for a giant impact to form the Moon. Continued accretionary impact activity during the crystallization of the magma ocean would result in the "splash intrusion" of residual liquids into the lower crust of the Moon as soon as the crust was coherent enough to resist re-incorporation into the magma ocean. For Mg-suite rocks with crystallization ages greater than about 4.4 Ga, impact-dominated dynamics of crustal formation resulted in the injection of liquids from the magma ocean into the crust. Such a process probably helps to account for the apparent increasingly mafic character of the crust with depth. Creation of a mega-regolith during the cratered highland stage constituted a necessary prerequisite for the later remelting of magma ocean cumulates to produce mare basalt magmas. The increasingly insulating character of the pulverized upper crust would slow the cooling of the residual magma ocean. It also would have allowed the gradual accumulation of radiogenic heat necessary to eventually partially remelt the source regions in the upper mantle that produced the mare basalts and related pyroclastic volcanic eruptions. The reverse wave of heating would proceed downward into the upper mantle from the still molten and significantly radio-isotopic urKREEP residual liquid zone at the base of the crust. The potential effects of a giant, Procellarum basin-forming event ca. 4.3 Ga and of a geographically coincident Imbrium event ca. 3.87 Ga can explain the surface concentration of KREEP-related materials in the Procellarum region of the Moon. Lunar Prospector gamma ray spectrometer data indicate that the Procellarum event excavated only relatively small amounts of material related to KREEP. This strongly suggests that urKREEP magmas had yet to move into the Moon's lower crust. The extensive movement of such liquids across and possibly along the crust-mantle boundary region to beneath Procellarum, however, may well have occurred in response to the regional reduction in lithostactic pressure. The coincidental formation of another large basin, the 1160-km diameter Imbrium basin, near the center of Procellarum resulted in the redistribution of KREEP-related materials roughly radial to the younger basin. This scenario may make unnecessary recent proposals of a chemically asymmetric Moon to account for the surface concentration of KREEP-related material around Imbrium. The timing of the giant, South Pole Aitken Basin-forming event at the end of the cratered highland stage (about 4.2 Ga.) can account for the lack of both extensive KREEP-related material and basaltic maria associated with South Pole Aitken. The absence of an Imbrium-size event in South Pole Aitken would have kept hidden any KREEP-rich crustal province. As would be expected with the removal of most of the insulating upper crust, relatively little mare basalt has erupted in South Pole Aitken, except possibly in its northern portions. After the cratered highlands stage and before the basaltic maria stage, objects from a discrete source region formed about 50 large basins on the Moon over -400 m.y. Four possibilities for sources of the impactors of the large basin stage appear plausible at this time. Of these possibilities, the initial breakup of the original Main Belt planetesimal would appear to be the best present choice as a discrete impactor source. The striking differences between young, mascon basins (about 3.92-3.80 Ga) and old, nonmascon basins (about 4.2-3.92 Ga) indicate that the older, isostaticly compensated basins triggered the regional intrusion, extrusion, and solidification of mobile urKREEP-related magmas prior to the formation of the younger, uncompensated basins. This suggests that the fracturing of the lunar crust by the older basin-forming events permitted urKREEP liquids to migrate into the crust, removing the potential for rapid, post-basin isostatic adjustment by urKREEP magma movement at the crust-mantle boundary. Additional information contained in original.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow at US Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, 1987-90

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eimers, J.L.; Daniel, C. C.; Coble, R.W.

1994-01-01

Geophysical and lithologic well-log data from 30 wells and chloride data, and water-level data from oil-test wells, supply wells, and observation wells were evaluated to define the hydrogeologic framework at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina. Elements of the hydrogeologic framework important to this study include six aquifers and their respective confining units. In descending order, these aquifers are the surficial, Yorktown, Pungo River, upper and lower Castle Hayne, and Beaufort. The upper and lower Castle Hayne and Beaufort aquifers and related confining units are relatively continuous throughout the study area. The surficial, Yorktown, Pungo River, and upper and lower Castle Hayne aquifers contain freshwater. The upper and lower Castle Hayne aquifers serve as the Air Station?s principal supply of freshwater. However, the lower Castle Hayne aquifer contains brackish water near its base and there is potential for upward movement of this water to supply wells completed in this aquifer. The potential for brackish-water encroachment is greatest if wells are screened too deep in the lower Castle Hayne aquifer or if pumping rates are too high. Lateral movement of brackish water into aquifers incised by estuarine streams is also possible if ground-water flow gradients toward these bodies are reversed by pumping. The potential for the reversed movement of water from the surficial aquifer downward to the water-supply aquifer is greatest in areas where clay confining units are missing. These missing clay units could indicate the presence of a paleochannel of the Neuse River. A quasi three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water flow model was constructed and calibrated to simulate conditions at and in the vicinity of the Air Station for the period of 1987-90. Comparisons of 94 observed and computed heads were made, and the average difference between them is -0.2 feet with a root mean square error of 5.7 feet. An analysis was made to evaluate the sensitivity of the model to the absence of the Yorktown and Pungo River confining units in a 1-square-mile area in the southern part of the Air Station. This analysis resulted in a maximum simulated head increase of 2 feet in one 0.11-square-mile model cell in the Pungo River aquifer.

Nature and composition of interbedded marine basaltic pumice in the ˜52-50 Ma Vastan lignite sequence, western India: Implication for Early Eocene MORB volcanism offshore Arabian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sensarma, Sarajit; Singh, Hukam; Rana, R. S.; Paul, Debajyoti; Sahni, Ashok

2017-03-01

The recognition of pyroclasts preserved in sedimentary environments far from its source is uncommon. We here describe occurrences of several centimetres-thick discontinuous basaltic pumice lenses occurring within the Early Eocene Vastan lignite mine sedimentary sequence, western India at two different levels - one at ˜5 m and the other at 10 m above a biostratigraphically constrained 52 Ma old marker level postdating the Deccan Volcanism. These sections have received global attention as they record mammalian and plant radiations. We infer the repetitive occurrence of pumice have been sourced from a ˜52-50 Ma MORB related to sea-floor spreading in the western Arabian Sea, most plausibly along the Carlsberg Ridge. Pyroclasts have skeletal plagioclase with horsetail morphologies ± pyroxene ± Fe-Ti oxide euhedral crystals, and typically comprise of circular polymodal (radii ≤10 to ≥30 μm), non-coalescing microvesicles (>40-60%). The pumice have undergone considerable syngenetic alteration during oceanic transport and post-burial digenesis, and are a composite mixture of Fe-Mn-rich clay and hydrated altered basaltic glass (palagonite). The Fe-Mn-rich clay is extremely low in SiO 2, Al 2 O 3, TiO 2, MgO, alkalies and REE, but very high in Fe 2 O 3, MnO, P, Ba, Sr contents, and palagonitization involved significant loss of SiO 2, Al 2 O 3, MgO and variable gain in Fe 2 O 3, TiO 2, Ni, V, Zr, Zn and REE. Bubble initiation to growth in the ascending basaltic magma (liquidus ˜1200-1250 ∘C) may have occured in ˜3 hr. Short-distance transport, non-connected vesicles, deposition in inner shelf to more confined lagoonal condition in the Early Eocene and quick burial helped preservation of the pumice in Vastan. Early Eocene Arabian Sea volcanism thus might have been an additional source to marginal sediments along the passive margin of western India.

The interplay between subduction and lateral extrusion: A case study for the European Eastern Alps based on analogue models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, I. E.; Willingshofer, E.; Sokoutis, D.; Cloetingh, S. A. P. L.

2017-08-01

A series of analogue experiments simulating intra-continental subduction contemporaneous with lateral extrusion of the upper plate are performed to study the interference between these two processes at crustal levels and in the lithospheric mantle. The models demonstrate that intra-continental subduction and coeval lateral extrusion of the upper plate are compatible processes leading to similar deformation structures within the extruding region as compared to the classical setup, lithosphere-scale indentation. Strong coupling across the subduction boundary allows for the transfer of stresses to the upper plate, where strain regimes are characterized by crustal thickening near a confined margin and dominated by lateral displacement of material near a weak lateral confinement. The strain regimes propagate laterally during ongoing convergence creating an area of overlap characterized by transpression. When subduction is oblique to the convergence direction, the upper plate is less deformed and as a consequence the amount of lateral extrusion decreases. In addition, strain is partitioned along the oblique plate boundary resulting in less subduction in expense of right lateral displacement close to the weak lateral confinement. Both oblique and orthogonal subduction models have a strong resemblance to lateral extrusion tectonics of the Eastern Alps (Europe), where subduction of the adjacent Adriatic plate beneath the Eastern Alps is debated. Our results imply that subduction of Adria is a valid mechanisms to induce extrusion-type deformation within the Eastern Alps lithosphere. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the Oligocene to Late Miocene structural evolution of the Eastern Alps reflects a phase of oblique subduction followed by a later stage of orthogonal subduction conform a Miocene shift in the plate motion of Adria. Oblique subduction also provides a viable mechanism to explain the rapid decrease in slab length of the Adriatic plate beneath the Eastern Alps towards the Pannonian Basin.

Bimodal Silurian and Lower Devonian volcanic rock assemblages in the Machias-Eastport area, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gates, Olcott; Moench, R.H.

1981-01-01

Exposed in the Machias-Eastport area of southeastern Maine is the thickest (at least 8,000 m), best exposed, best dated, and most nearly complete succession of Silurian and Lower Devonian volcanic strata in the coastal volcanic belt, remnants of which crop out along the coasts of southern New Brunswick, Canada, and southeastern New England in the United States. The volcanics were erupted through the 600-700-million-year-old Avalonian sialic basement. To test the possibility that this volcanic belt was a magmatic arc above a subduction zone prior to presumed Acadian continental collision, samples representing the entire section in the Machias-Eastport area of Maine were chemically analyzed. Three strongly bimodal assemblages of volcanic rocks and associated intrusives are recognized, herein called the Silurian, older Devonian, and younger Devonian assemblages. The Silurian assemblage contains typically nonporphyritic high-alumina tholeiitic basalts, basaltic andesites, and diabase of continental characterand calc-alkalic rhyolites, silicic dacites, and one known dike of andesite. These rocks are associated with fossiliferous, predominantly marine strata of the Quoddy, Dennys, and Edmunds Formations, and the Leighton Formation of the Pembroke Group (the stratigraphic rank of both is revised herein for the Machias-Eastport area), all of Silurian age. The shallow marine Hersey Formation (stratigraphic rank also revised herein) of the Pembroke Group, of latest Silurian age (and possibly earliest Devonian, as suggested by an ostracode fauna), contains no known volcanics; and it evidently was deposited during a volcanic hiatus that immediately preceded emergence of the coastal volcanic belt and the eruption of the older Devonian assemblage. The older Devonian assemblage, in the lagoonal to subaerial Lower Devonian Eastport Formation, contains tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites, typically with abundant plagioclase phenocrysts and typically richer in iron and titanium and poorer in magnesium and nickel than the Silurian basalts; and the Eastport Formation has rhyolites and silicic dacites that have higher average SiO2 and K2O contents and higher ratios of FeO* to MgO than the Silurian ones. The younger Devonian assemblage is represented by one sample of basalt from a flow in red beds of the post-Acadian Upper Devonian Perry Formation, and by three samples from pre-Acadian diabases that intrude the Leighton and Hersey Formations. These rocks are even richer in titanium and iron and poorer in magnesium and nickel than the older Devonian basalts. Post-Acadian granitic plutons exposed along the coastal belt for which analyses are available are tentatively included in the younger Devonian assemblage. The most conspicuous features of the coastal volcanics and associated intrusives are the preponderance of rocks of basaltic composition ( < 52 percent SiO2 ) in the Silurian assemblage, and the near absence in all assemblages of intermediate rocks having 57-67 percent SiO2 (calculated without volatiles). All the rocks are variably altered spilites and keratophyres. The basaltic types are adequately defined, however, by eight samples of least altered basalts having calcic plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and 0.5 percent or less CO2 , The more altered basalts are variably enriched or depleted in Na2O, K2O, and CaO relative to the least altered ones. In the silicic rocks no primary ferromagnesian minerals are preserved. The Na2O and K2O contents of the silicic rocks are erratic; they are approximately reciprocal, possibly owing to alkali exchange while the rocks were still glassy. We propose that the coastal volcanic belt extended along an axis of thermal swelling in the Earth's mantle and upward intrusion of partially melted mantle into the sialic Avalonian crust. These processes were accompanied by shoaling and emergence of the belt, and they produced the bimodal volcanism. Tholeiitic basaltic melts segregated from mantle material

Well characteristics influencing arsenic concentrations in ground water.

PubMed

Erickson, Melinda L; Barnes, Randal J

2005-10-01

Naturally occurring arsenic contamination is common in ground water in the upper Midwest. Arsenic is most likely to be present in glacial drift and shallow bedrock wells that lie within the footprint of northwest provenance Late Wisconsinan glacial drift. Elevated arsenic is more common in domestic wells and in monitoring wells than it is in public water system wells. Arsenic contamination is also more prevalent in domestic wells with short screens set in proximity to an upper confining unit, such as glacial till. Public water system wells have distinctly different well-construction practices and well characteristics when compared to domestic and monitoring wells. Construction practices such as exploiting a thick, coarse aquifer and installing a long well screen yield good water quantity for public water system wells. Coincidentally, these construction practices also often yield low arsenic water. Coarse aquifer materials have less surface area for adsorbing arsenic, and thus less arsenic available for potential mobilization. Wells with long screens set at a distance from an upper confining unit are at lower risk of exposure to geochemical conditions conducive to arsenic mobilization via reductive mechanisms such as reductive dissolution of metal hydroxides and reductive desorption of arsenic.

Ground-water recharge and flowpaths near the edge of the Decorah-Platteville-Glenwood confining unit, Rochester, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindgren, Richard J.

2001-01-01

The water withdrawn by pumped wells or discharged to Bear Creek is derived predominantly from areal recharge near the edge of the Decorah-Platteville-Glenwood confining unit (0.47 ft3/s), rather than from water that has leaked downward through the Decorah unit (0.03 ft3/s). Model simulated discharge through springs and seeps in the lower part of the upper carbonate aquifer (0.21 ft3/s) represents a potential source of water to the St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer.

Review: Groundwater development and management in the Deccan Traps (basalts) of western India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limaye, Shrikant Daji

2010-05-01

The Deccan Traps or the basalts of western India are the largest exposure of basic lava flows covering about 500,000 km2. Groundwater occurrence in the Deccan Traps is in phreatic condition in the weathered zone above the hard rock and in semi-confined condition in the fissures, fractures, joints, cooling cracks, lava flow junctions and in the inter-trappean beds between successive lava flows, within the hard rock. Dug wells, dug-cum-bored wells and boreholes or bore wells are commonly used for obtaining groundwater. The yield is small, usually in the range of 1-100 m3/day. The average land holding per farming family is only around 2 ha. Recently, due to the ever increasing number of dug wells and deep bore wells, the water table has been falling in several watersheds, especially in those lying in the semi-arid region of the traps, so that now the emphasis has shifted from development to sustainable management. Issues like climatic change, poverty mitigation in villages, sustainable development, rapid urbanization of the population, and resource pollution have invited the attention of politicians, policy makers, government agencies and non-governmental organizations towards watershed management, forestation, soil and water conservation, recharge augmentation and, above all, the voluntary control of groundwater abstraction in the Deccan Traps terrain.

Analysis of an anisotropic coastal aquifer system using variable-density flow and solute transport simulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Souza, W.R.; Voss, C.I.

1987-01-01

The groundwater system in southern Oahu, Hawaii consists of a thick, areally extensive freshwater lens overlying a zone of transition to a thick saltwater body. This system is analyzed in cross section with a variable-density groundwater flow and solute transport model on a regional scale. The simulation is difficult, because the coastal aquifer system has a saltwater transition zone that is broadly dispersed near the discharge area, but is very sharply defined inland. Steady-state simulation analysis of the transition zone in the layered basalt aquifer of southern Oahu indicates that a small transverse dispersivity is characteristic of horizontal regional flow. Further, in this system flow is generally parallel to isochlors and steady-state behavior is insensitive to the longitudinal dispersivity. Parameter analysis identifies that only six parameters control the complex hydraulics of the system: horizontal and vertical hydraulic conductivity of the basalt aquifer; hydraulic conductivity of the confining "caprock" layer; leakance below the caprock; specific yield; and aquifer matrix compressibility. The best-fitting models indicate the horizontal hydraulic conductivity is significantly greater than the vertical hydraulic conductivity. These models give values for specific yield and aquifer compressibility which imply a considerable degree of compressive storage in the water table aquifer. ?? 1987.

Recent Results from the Spirit Rover at Home Plate and "Silica Valley"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Squyres, S. W.

2007-12-01

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has spent more than 500 sols exploring Home Plate in the inner basin of the Columbia Hills, and adjacent materials. Home Plate is a plateau of layered rocks 80-90 meters in diameter and ~2 meters high. The rocks are clastic and of moderately altered alkali basalt composition, enriched in some volatile elements. A coarse-grained lower unit is overlain by a finer-grained upper unit. Textural observations, including a prominent bomb sag, indicate that the lower strata were emplaced in an explosive event. Geochemical similarities to nearby volcanic rocks and the enrichment in volatile elements favor an explosive volcanic origin. Along the northern portion of Home Plate, the upper unit is very well sorted and composed of well rounded sand sized grains, pointing to textural maturity and suggesting an eolian origin. Along the southeastern portion, however, the upper unit contains some coarser granules too large to be transported by saltation. While their size is comparable to other clasts on Mars that have moved by saltation-induced creep, the observed textures clearly are consistent with emplacement as a pyroclastic surge. The upper and lower units are effectively identical in composition, so the upper unit probably represents a finer-grained fraction of pyroclastic materials that may have undergone some local reworking by wind. Rocks along the margins of Home Plate show a consistent dip toward the center of the plateau. We interpret Home Plate to be the eroded remnants of a formerly more extensive sheet of pyroclastic materials, perhaps produced in a phreatomagmatic eruption. The inward dips may have arisen when pyroclastic materials overrode and partially buried a pre-existing bowl-shaped depression such as an impact crater, draping the topography. Immediately to the east of Home Plate is a narrow valley bounded on one side by Home Plate and on the other by Mitcheltree Ridge. While operating within this valley, Spirit's inoperative right front wheel excavated a small patch of high albedo soil. Mini-TES spectra of this soil were well fit by amorphous silica, and subsequent investigation with the APXS showed a composition that was more than 90% SiO2. The deposits are also enriched in Ti. Mini-TES spectra of nearby rocks also show a strong signature of amorphous silica, and APXS spectra of these rocks also confirm a high silica content. We consider two hypotheses for the formation of these silica-rich deposits. One is that they developed via precipitation from hydrothermal fluids. Siliceous sinter deposits are common in terrestrial hydrothermal environments where fluids dissolve Si from host rocks at high temperatures and then reprecipitate silica at lower temperatures. Alternatively, the Si-rich materials may represent the remnants of formerly basaltic materials that have been extensively leached in a fumarolic environment under acid sulfate conditions. In either case, the proximity to Home Plate is consistent with formation via the interaction of basaltic volcanism with groundwater. The astrobiological implications of these Si-rich deposits may be significant. Both hydrothermal systems and fumaroles are capable of supporting microbial ecosystems on Earth, and precipitated silica deposits in both environments can preserve strong textural evidence of microbial life.

Preliminary geologic map of the Murrieta 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennedy, Michael P.; Morton, Douglas M.

2003-01-01

The Murrieta quadrangle is located in the northern part of the Peninsular Ranges Province and includes parts of two structural blocks, or structural subdivisions of the province. The quadrangle is diagonally crossed by the active Elsinore fault zone, a major fault zone of the San Andreas fault system, and separates the Santa Ana Mountains block to the west from the Perris block to the east. Both blocks are relatively stable internally and within the quadrangle are characterized by the presence of widespread erosional surfaces of low relief. The Santa Ana Mountains block, in the Murrieta quadrangle, is underlain by undifferentiated, thick-layered, granular, impure quartzite and well-layered, fissile, phyllitic metamorphic rock of low metamorphic grade. Both quartzite and phyllitic rocks are Mesozoic. Unconformably overlying the metamorphic rocks are remnants of basalt flows having relatively unmodified flow surfaces. The age of the basalt is about 7-8Ma. Large shallow depressions on the surface of the larger basalt remnants form vernal ponds that contain an endemic flora. Beneath the basalt the upper part of the metamorphic rocks is deeply weathered. The weathering appears to be the same as the regional Paleocene saprolitic weathering in southern California. West of the quadrangle a variable thickness sedimentary rock, physically resembling Paleogene rocks, occurs between the basalt and metamorphic rock. Where not protected by the basalt, the weathered rock has been removed by erosion. The dominant feature on the Perris block in the Murrieta quadrangle is the south half of the Paloma Valley ring complex, part of the composite Peninsular Ranges batholith. The complex is elliptical in plan view and consists of an older ring-dike with two subsidiary short-arced dikes that were emplaced into gabbro by magmatic stoping. Small to large stoped blocks of gabbro are common within the ring-dikes. A younger ring-set of hundreds of thin pegmatite dikes occur largely within the central part of the complex. These pegmatite dikes were emplaced into a domal fracture system, apparently produced by cauldron subsidence, and include in the center of the complex, a number of flat-floored granophyre bodies. The granophyre is interpreted to be the result of pressure quenching of pegmatite magma. Along the eastern edge of the quadrangle is the western part of a large septum of medium metamorphic grade Mesozoic schist. A dissected basalt flow caps the Hogbacks northeast of Temecula, and represents remnants of a channel filling flow. Beneath the basalt is a thin deposit of stream gravel. Having an age of about 10Ma, this basalt is about 2-3Ma older than the basalt flows in the Santa Ana Mountains. The Elsinore fault zone forms a complex of pull-apart basins. The west edge of the fault zone, the Willard Fault, is marked by the high, steep eastern face of the Santa Ana Mountains. The east side of the zone, the Wildomar Fault, forms a less pronounced physiographic step. In the center of the quadrangle a major splay of the fault zone, the Murrieta Hot Springs Fault, strikes east. Branching of the fault zone causes the development of a broad alluvial valley between the Willard Fault and the Murrieta Hot Springs Fault. All but the axial part of the zone between the Willard and Wildomar Faults consist of dissected Pleistocene sedimentary units. The axial part of the zone is underlain by Holocene and latest Pleistocene sedimentary units.

Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Basaltic Formation Fluids on a Ridge Flank: Using Drilling Perturbations to Elucidate Water-Rock-Microbial Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannasch, H. W.; Wheat, G. C.; Hulme, S.; Becker, K.; Fisher, A. T.; Davis, E. E.

2008-12-01

Holes 1301A and 1301B were drilled, cased, and instrumented with long-term, subseafloor observatories (CORKs) on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in Summer 2004. These holes penetrate 265 m of sediment and the uppermost 108 to 318 m of 3.5 Ma basaltic basement, in an area of vigorous, warm (64C) hydrothermal circulation. The new boreholes were located 1 km south and 2.4 km southwest of instrumented Holes 1026B and 1027C, respectively, that were emplaced eight years earlier. This network of four instrumented boreholes was established as part of a long-term, cross-hole experiment that will elucidate hydrologic properties and the nature and dynamics of microbial ecosystems within the upper oceanic crust, in a well defined geochemical and physical context. Downhole instrumented OsmoSampler packages in Holes 1301A and 1026B were replaced by submersible in summer 2008, as part of a program of observatory servicing in preparation for the next drilling expedition and the initiation of cross-hole experiments in this area. The borehole instrument package from Hole 1301A sampled borehole fluids within the upper 107.5 m of basaltic crust during a four-year period of drilling disturbance, self-sustaining flow of cold bottom water into basement, and subsequent recovery to near-predrilling chemical and thermal conditions. Because the borehole was incompletely sealed at the time of initial installation, bottom seawater flowed down into the borehole during the first three years following emplacement, driven by the higher density of cold bottom water relative to warm formation fluid. Borehole thermal records during the first 1.5 years show that temperatures in basement were below 10 C, and fluid samples from the borehole have a chemical composition similar to bottom seawater. Temperatures fluctuated for the next 1.5 years between 10 and 30 C, and the fluid composition began to shift towards that seen in regional basement fluids sampled at nearby Baby Bare outcrop and from Hole 1026B. In early September 2007 the natural formation overpressure overcame the excess pressure of cold bottom water and began to vent a mixture of recently-recharged bottom water and warm formation fluid. The present day composition of fluid venting from Hole 1301A is very similar to that sampled from Baby Bare outcrop. The progression from bottom seawater to formation fluid chemistry is not conservative relative to temperature, most likely because of water-rock and microbial reactions within basaltic basement.

Palynology, paleoclimatology and correlation of middle Miocene beds from Porcupine River (locality 90-1), Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, J.M.; Ager, T.A.

1994-01-01

Beds in the Upper Ramparts Canyon of the Porcupine River, Alaska (67?? 20' N, 141?? 20' W), yielded a flora rich in pollen of hardwood genera now found in the temperate climates of North America and Asia. The beds are overlain or enclosed by two basalt flows which were dated to 15.2 ?? 0.1 Ma by the 40Ar 39Ar method, fixing the period of the greatest abundance of warm-loving genera to the early part of the middle Miocene. The assemblage is the most northern middle Miocene flora known in Alaska. Organic bed 1 underlies the basalt and is older than 15.2 Ma, but is of early to middle Miocene age. The pollen assemblage from organic bed 1 is dominated by conifer pollen from the pine and redwood-cypress-yew families with rare occurrences of temperate hardwoods. Organic bed 2 is a forest floor containing redwood trees in life position, engulfed by the lowest basalt flow. A pine log has growth rings up to 1 cm thick. Organic beds 3 and 4 comprise lacustrine sediment and peat between the two basalt flows. Their palynoflora contain conifers and hardwood genera, of which about 40% have modern temperate climatic affinities. Hickory, katsura, walnut, sweet gum, wingnut, basswood and elm pollen are consistently present, and beech and oak alone make up about 20% of the pollen assemblage. A warm high latitude climate is indicated for all of the organic beds, but organic bed 3 was deposited under a time of peak warmth. Climate data derived by comparison with modern east Asian vegetation suggest that, at the time of deposition of organic bed 3, the Mean Annual Temperature (MAT) was ca. 9??C, the Warm Month Mean Temperature (WMMT) was ??? 20??C and the Cold Month Mean Temperature (CMMT) was ca. -2??C. In contrast, the modern MAT for the region is -8.6??C, WMMT is 12.6??C and CMMT is -28??C. Organic beds 3 and 4 correlate to rocks of the middle Miocene-late Seldovian Stage of Cook Inlet and also probably correlate to, and more precisely date, the lower third of the Suntrana Formation in the Alaska Range, beds at Unalaklect, part of the upper Mackenzie Bay sequence in the Beaufort-Mackenzie basin, and the Mary Sachs gravel of Banks Island. This suggests that forests with significant percentages of temperate deciduous angiosperms existed between latitudes 60?? and 72??N during the early middle Miocene. ?? 1994.

Magnesium Isotope Composition of the Altered Upper Oceanic Crust at ODP Holes 504B and 896A, Costa Rica Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaumais, A.; Teagle, D. A. H.; James, R. H.; Pearce, C. R.; Milton, J. A.; Alt, J.; Coggon, R. M.

2017-12-01

Alteration of the oceanic crust is thought to be the principal sink of Mg in seawater, but the effect of this process on the Mg isotope (δ26Mg) composition of the oceans remains unclear. Here we present the first measurements of Mg isotopes in altered oceanic crust from ODP Holes 504B and 896A, located in 5.9 Ma crust, 200 km south of the intermediate spreading rate Costa Rica Rift. Hole 504B penetrates: (i) A volcanic section, consisting of partially altered basalt that was open to seawater circulation under oxic-suboxic conditions at temperatures of <150°C. (ii) A transition zone, characterized by mixing between upwelling hydrothermal fluid and seawater between 100 and 350°C. (iii) A sheeted dike complex consisting of diabase partially altered to greenschist facies minerals. Hole 896A penetrates volcanic rocks altered at low temperature (<100 °C) under oxic-suboxic conditions. The overall range in δ26Mg values is -0.53 to -0.01‰; significantly greater than the range observed in unaltered mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB: -0.25 ± 0.06‰ [1]). δ26Mg values decrease with depth in the volcanic sections of both Holes 504B and 896A. The highest δ26Mg values are found in saponite-bearing basalts at the top of the volcanic sections of both holes, and are attributed to the preferential incorporation of heavy Mg isotopes into secondary clays (Mg-saponite). Lower δ26Mg values recorded in the deeper part of the volcanic section may be a result of fluid-rock interaction with isotopically lighter evolved seawater. The transition zone is characterised by MORB-like to relatively high δ26Mg values in the chlorite-smectite bearing basalts. The sheeted dike complex yields a narrow range of MORB-like δ26Mg values suggesting that limited fractionation occurs during high-temperature alteration and that the fluids have very low Mg concentrations. Low temperature fluid-rock interactions modify the Mg isotopic composition of the upper part of the oceanic crust. Therefore, this process could potentially play a role in balancing the δ26Mg of (i) the seawater via lateral fluid flow through oceanic crust off-axis ridge flanks, and (ii) the mantle via recycling of oceanic lithosphere at subduction zones. [1] Teng et al., (2010) GCA 74, 4150-4166.

Breakup magmatism style on the North Atlantic Igneous Province: insight from Mid-Norwegian volcanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansour Abdelmalak, Mohamed; Faleide, Jan Inge; Planke, Sverre; Theissen-Krah, Sonja; Zastrozhnov, Dmitrii; Breivik, Asbjørn Johan; Gernigon, Laurent; Myklebust, Reidun

2014-05-01

The distribution of breakup-related igneous rocks on rifted margins provide important constraints on the magmatic processes during continental extension and lithosphere separation which lead to a better understanding of the melt supply from the upper mantle and the relationship between tectonic setting and volcanism. The results can lead to a better understanding of the processes forming volcanic margins and thermal evolution of associated prospective basins. We present a revised mapping of the breakup-related igneous rocks in the NE Atlantic area, which are mainly based on the Mid-Norwegian (case example) margin. We divided the breakup related igneous rocks into (1) extrusive complexes, (2) shallow intrusive complexes (sills/dykes) and (3) deep intrusive complexes (Lower Crustal Body: LCB). The extrusive complex has been mapped using the seismic volcanostratigraphic method. Several distinct volcanic seismic facies units have been identified. The top basalt reflection is easily identified because of the high impedance contrast between the sedimentary and volcanic rocks resulting in a major reflector. The basal sequence boundary is frequently difficult to identify but it lies usually over the intruded sedimentary basin. Then the base is usually picked above the shallow sill intrusions identified on seismic profile. The mapping of the top and the base of the basaltic sequences allows us to determine the basalt thickness and estimate the volume of the magma production on the Mid- Norwegian margin. The thicker part of the basalt corresponds to the seaward dipping reflector (SDR). The magma feeder system, mainly formed by dyke and sill intrusions, represents the shallow intrusive complex. Deeper interconnected high-velocity sills are also mappable in the margin. Interconnected sill complexes can define continuous magma network >10 km in vertical ascent. The large-scale sill complexes, in addition to dyke swarm intrusions, represent a mode of vertical long-range magma transport through the upper crust. The deep intrusive complex represents the Lower Crustal Body (LCB) which is observed along the margin and characterized by high P-wave velocity bodies (Vp> 7km/s). On the Vøring margin a strong amplitude dome-shaped reflection (the so-called T-Reflection) has been identified and interpreted as the top LCB. In the sedimentary part of the margin, sill intrusions are the major feeder system and seem to be connected with LCB. In the volcanic part of the margin, dykes represent the main feeder system and lie above the thicker part of the LCB.

The Geology and Petrography of Yücebelen and Surrounding Area, Torul-Gümüşhane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doǧacan, Özcan; Özpınar, Yahya

2013-04-01

The study area is located in the tectono-stratigraphic zone named "Eastern Pontide Zone" from the northeastern part of Turkey. Eastern Pontides were formed by the subduction of Tethys Ocean under the Eurasian plate, during the Early Cretaceous - Late Eocene. Eastern Pontide orogenic zone can be divided in two tectono-stratigraphic subgroups as the northern and southern zones. The study area is located very close to border of these two subgroups but located in northern zone. In this project, the first geological map of the study area at the scale 1:5000 was made. Subsequently, detailed geological maps at the scale 1:2000 were made for the areas rich in ores. In the study area, Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks consisting of basalts and basaltic andesites take place at the bottom of the rock sequence. Basalts and basaltic andesites with hyaloophitic, vitrophiric and microporphyric texture comprise plagioclase +pyroxene +chlorite +calcite ±epidote ±chalcedony ±opaque minerals. They are overlain by concordant pyroclastic and dacitic-rhyodacitic rocks. Quarts + K-feldispar ±plagioclase? ±biotite ±chlorite ±calcite ±chalcedony minerals are determined as a result of microscope investigation on samples taken from these rocks. These rocks are overlain by sedimentary rocks intercalated with pyroclastic rocks. All those units mentioned above, were intruded by granitoids of supposed Upper Cretaceous-Eocene age. Granitoids that crop out in the area were classified in terms of Q-ANOR parameters as granodiorites (Adile Hamlet occurrence - investigated in detail), diorites (Tuzlak Hill occurrence- eastern-part of study area) and quartz monzodiorites (İstavroma Hill occurrence- northern part of study area). Adile Hamlet granodiorites comprise plagioclase +pyroxene +chlorite +calcite ±quarts ±epidote +opaque minerals. A sequence of quarts +orthoclase +plagioclase ±chlorite ±epidote ±calcite ±opaque minerals have been determined after investigation of the rock samples collected from Tuzlak Hill surrounding area. Also, petrographic investigation gave us plagioclase +hornblende ±biotite ±chlorite ±calcite ±quarts ±opaque minerals mineral sequence for the occurrences seen around İstavroma Hill. All of these units are intruded Late Eocene andesitic and dacitic dykes. It was determined that Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization depends on the quartz veins developed in the fracture zones of the granitoid body and its contacts with sedimentary rocks. These veins revealed a paragenesis consisting Cu-Pb-Zn minerals. Key words: Eastern Pontides, Gümüşhane-Torul, Granitoid, Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization, Gümüşhane-Torul

Diagnostic heavy minerals in Plio-Pleistocene sediments of the Yangtze Coast, China with special reference to the Yangtze River connection into the sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing; Wang, Zhanghua; Chen, Zhongyuan; Wei, Zixin; Wei, Taoyuan; Wei, Wei

2009-12-01

This present study revealed five heavy mineral zones in the Yangtze coastal borehole sediments. Ilmenite, garnet and zircon suite of Zone I of the Pliocene characterizes the derivation of basaltic bedrock and local andesitic-granitic rocks. Indicative limonite in the Zone I sediments formed as alluvial fan facies shows strong chemical weathering. The assemblage of amphibole, straurolite, kyanite and idocrase of metamorphic derivation, together with a few zircon and tourmaline of andesitic-granitic origin in Zone II, represents the extension of sediment sources to the lower and middle Yangtze basin in Early Pleistocene as the study area subsided. Also, the braided to meandering riverine facies demonstrates a longer distance sediment transport. Few heavy minerals remained in Zone III of Mid-Pleistocene, when mottled thicker stiff mud occurred as the lacustrine facies, suggesting a quasi-coastal floodplain with lower capability of sediment transport. Heavy minerals appeared significant and continuous in Zone IV of Late Pleistocene, when changing to the shallow marine facies, inferring much extended sediment sources to the upper Yangtze. Hypersthene, identified primarily in Zone IV, was closely associated with the Er-Mei Mountain tholeiite basalt of the upper Yangtze. Heavy minerals of Zone V remained almost the same as IV during Holocene, when the modern delta evolved. The heavy minerals suggested the timing of the Yangtze connection to the sea at ca 0.12 Ma BP.

Geothermal constraints on Emeishan mantle plume magmatism: paleotemperature reconstruction of the Sichuan Basin, SW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Chuanqing; Hu, Shengbiao; Qiu, Nansheng; Jiang, Qiang; Rao, Song; Liu, Shuai

2018-01-01

The Middle-Late Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) in southwestern China represents a classic example of a mantle plume origin. To constrain the thermal regime of the ELIP and contemporaneous magmatic activity in the northeastern Sichuan Basin, maximum paleotemperature profiles of deep boreholes were reconstructed using vitrinite reflectance (Ro) and apatite fission track data. Two heating patterns were identified: (1) heating of the overlying lithosphere by magma storage regions and/or magmatic activity related to the mantle plume, which resulted in a relatively strong geothermal field and (2) direct heating of country rock by stock or basalt. Borehole Ro data and reconstructed maximum paleotemperature profiles near the ELIP exhibit abrupt tectonothermal unconformities between the Middle and Late Permian. The profiles in the lower subsections (i.e., pre-Middle Permian) exhibited significantly higher gradients than those in the upper subsections. Distal to the basalt province, high paleo-geotemperatures (hereafter, paleotemperatures) were inferred, despite deformation of the paleogeothermal curve due to deep faults and igneous rocks within the boreholes. In contrast, Ro profiles from boreholes without igneous rocks (i.e., Late Permian) contained no break at the unconformity. Paleotemperature gradients of the upper and the lower subsections and erosion at the Middle/Late Permian unconformity revealed variations in the thermal regime. The inferred spatial distribution of the paleothermal regime and the erosion magnitudes record the magmatic and tectonic-thermal response to the Emeishan mantle plume.

Archean greenstone-tonalite duality: Thermochemical mantle convection models or plate tectonics in the early Earth global dynamics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerrich, Robert; Polat, Ali

2006-03-01

Mantle convection and plate tectonics are one system, because oceanic plates are cold upper thermal boundary layers of the convection cells. As a corollary, Phanerozoic-style of plate tectonics or more likely a different version of it (i.e. a larger number of slowly moving plates, or similar number of faster plates) is expected to have operated in the hotter, vigorously convecting early Earth. Despite the recent advances in understanding the origin of Archean greenstone-granitoid terranes, the question regarding the operation of plate tectonics in the early Earth remains still controversial. Numerical model outputs for the Archean Earth range from predominantly shallow to flat subduction between 4.0 and 2.5 Ga and well-established steep subduction since 2.5 Ga [Abbott, D., Drury, R., Smith, W.H.F., 1994. Flat to steep transition in subduction style. Geology 22, 937-940], to no plate tectonics but rather foundering of 1000 km sectors of basaltic crust, then "resurfaced" by upper asthenospheric mantle basaltic melts that generate the observed duality of basalts and tonalities [van Thienen, P., van den Berg, A.P., Vlaar, N.J., 2004a. Production and recycling of oceanic crust in the early earth. Tectonophysics 386, 41-65; van Thienen, P., Van den Berg, A.P., Vlaar, N.J., 2004b. On the formation of continental silicic melts in thermochemical mantle convection models: implications for early Earth. Tectonophysics 394, 111-124]. These model outputs can be tested against the geological record. Greenstone belt volcanics are composites of komatiite-basalt plateau sequences erupted from deep mantle plumes and bimodal basalt-dacite sequences having the geochemical signatures of convergent margins; i.e. horizontally imbricated plateau and island arc crust. Greenstone belts from 3.8 to 2.5 Ga include volcanic types reported from Cenozoic convergent margins including: boninites; arc picrites; and the association of adakites-Mg andesites- and Nb-enriched basalts. Archean cratons were intruded by voluminous norites from the Neoarchean through Proterozoic; norites are accounted for by melting of subduction metasomatized Archean continental lithospheric mantle (CLM). Deep CLM defines Archean cratons; it extends to ˜ 350 km, includes the diamond facies, and xenoliths signify a composition of the buoyant, refractory, residue of plume melting, a natural consequence of imbricated plateau-arc crust. Voluminous tonalites of Archean greenstone-granitoid terranes show a secular trend of increasing Mg#, Cr, Ni consistent with slab melts hybridizing with thicker mantle wedge as subduction angle steepens. Strike-slip faults of 1000 km scale; diachronous accretion of distinct tectonostratigraphic terranes; and broad Cordilleran-type orogens featuring multiple sutures, and oceanward migration of arcs, in the Archean Superior and Yilgarn cratons, are in common with the Altaid and Phanerozoic Cordilleran orogens. There is increasing geological evidence of the supercontinent cycle operating back to ˜ 2.7 Ga: Kenorland or Ur ˜ 2.7-2.4 Ga; Columbia ˜ 1.6-1.4 Ga; Rodinia ˜ 1100-750 Ma; and Pangea ˜ 230 Ma. High-resolution seismic reflection profiling of Archean terranes reveals a prevalence of low angle structures, and evidence for paleo-subduction zones. Collectively, the geological-geochemical-seismic records endorse the operation of plate tectonics since the early Archean.

Documentation of a computer program to simulate transient leakage from confining units using the modular finite-difference, ground-water flow model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leake, S.A.; Leahy, P.P.; Navoy, A.S.

1994-01-01

Transient leakage into or out of a compressible fine-grained confining unit results from ground- water storage changes within the unit. The computer program described in this report provides a new method of simulating transient leakage using the U.S. Geological Survey modular finite- difference ground-water flow model (MODFLOW). The new program is referred to as the Transient- Leakage Package. The Transient-Leakage Package solves integrodifferential equations that describe flow across the upper and lower boundaries of confining units. For each confining unit, vertical hydraulic conductivity, thickness, and specific storage are specified in input arrays. These properties can vary from cell to cell and the confining unit need not be present at all locations in the grid; however, the confining units must be bounded above and below by model layers in which head is calculated or specified. The package was used in an example problem to simulate drawdown around a pumping well in a system with two aquifers separated by a confining unit. For drawdown values in excess of 1 centimeter, the solution using the new package closely matched an exact analytical solution. The problem also was simulated without the new package by using a separate model layer to represent the confining unit. That simulation was refined by using two model layers to represent the confining unit. The simulation using the Transient-Leakage Package was faster and more accurate than either of the simulations using model layers to represent the confining unit.

Early neogene history of the central American arc from Bocas del Toro, western Panama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coates, Anthony G.; Aubry, Marie-Pierre; Berggren, William A.; Collins, Laurel S.; Kunk, Michael J.

2003-01-01

A newly discovered sequence of lower to middle Miocene rocks from the eastern Bocas del Toro archipelago, western Panama, reveals the timing and environment of the earliest stages in the rise of the Isthmus of Panama in this region. Two new formations, the Punta Alegre Formation (lower Miocene, Aquitanian to Burdigalian) and the Valiente Formation (middle Miocene, Langhian to Serravallian), are here named and formally described. The Punta Alegre Formation contains a diagnostic microfauna of benthic and planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils that indicate deposition in a 2000-m-deep pre-isthmian neotropical ocean from as old as 21.5–18.3 Ma. Its lithology varies from silty mudstone to muddy foraminiferal ooze with rare thin microturbidite layers near the top. The Valiente Formation, which ranges in age from 16.4 to ca. 12.0 Ma, lies with slight angular unconformity on the Punta Alegre Formation and consists of five lithofacies: (1) columnar basalt and flow breccia, (2) pyroclastic deposits, (3) coarse-grained volcaniclastic deposits, (4) coral-reef limestone with diverse large coral colonies, and (5) marine debris-flow deposits and microturbidites. These lithofacies are interpreted to indicate that after ca. 16 Ma a volcanic arc developed in the region of Bocas del Toro and that by ca. 12 Ma an extensively emergent archipelago of volcanic islands had formed. 39Ar/40Ar dating of basalt flows associated with the fossiliferous sedimentary rocks in the upper part of the Valiente Formation strongly confirms the ages derived from planktic foraminifera and nannofossils. Paleobathymetric analysis of the two new formations in the Valiente Peninsula and Popa Island, in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, shows a general shallowing from lower- through upper-bathyal to upper-neritic and emergent laharic and fluviatile deposits from ca. 19 to 12 Ma. The overlying nonconformable Bocas del Toro Group contains a lower transgressive sequence ranging from basal nearshore sandstone to upper-bathyal mudstone (ca. 8.1–5.3 Ma) and an upper regressive sequence (5.3–3.5 Ma). A similar paleobathymetric pattern is observed from the Gatun to Chagres Formations (12–6 Ma) in the Panama Canal Basin area and in the Uscari, Rio Banana, Quebrada Chocolate, and Moin Formations (8–1.7 Ma) in the southern Limón Basin of Costa Rica.

Implementation and thickness optimization of perpetual pavements in Ohio : [executive summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

Perpetual asphalt pavements are designed to confine distresses to the upper layer of the structure, by eliminating : or reducing the potential for fatigue cracking by maintaining the horizontal strains at the bottom of the pavement : below a critical...

The role of mantle-hybridization and crustal contamination in the petrogenesis of lithospheric mantle-derived alkaline rocks: constraints from Os and Hf isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, B.; Jung, S.; Brauns, M.; Münker, C.

2018-06-01

The Rhön area as part of the Central European Volcanic Province (CEVP) hosts an unusual suite of Tertiary 24-Ma old hornblende-bearing alkaline basalts that provide insights into melting and fractionation processes within the lithospheric mantle. These chemically primitive to slightly evolved and isotopically (Sr, Nd, Pb) depleted basalts have slightly lower Hf isotopic compositions than respective other CEVP basalts and Os isotope compositions more radiogenic than commonly observed for continental intraplate alkaline basalts. These highly radiogenic initial 187Os/188Os ratios (0.268-0.892) together with their respective Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions are unlikely to result from crustal contamination alone, although a lack of Os data for lower crustal rocks from the area and limited data for CEVP basalts or mantle xenoliths preclude a detailed evaluation. Similarly, melting of the same metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle as inferred for other CEVP basalts alone is also unlikely, based on only moderately radiogenic Os isotope compositions obtained for upper mantle xenoliths from elsewhere in the province. Another explanation for the combined Nd, Sr and Os isotope data is that the lavas gained their highly radiogenic Os isotope composition through a mantle "hybridization", metasomatism process. This model involves a mafic lithospheric component, such as an intrusion of a sublithospheric primary alkaline melt or a melt derived from subducted oceanic material, sometime in the past into the lithospheric mantle where it metasomatized the ambient mantle. Later at 24 Ma, thermal perturbations during rifting forced the isotopically evolved parts of the mantle together with the peridotitic ambient mantle to melt. This yielded a package of melts with highly correlated Re/Os ratios and radiogenic Os isotope compositions. Subsequent movement through the crust may have further altered the Os isotope composition although this effect is probably minor for the majority of the samples based on radiogenic Nd and unradiogenic Sr isotope composition of the lavas. If the radiogenic Os isotope composition can be explained by a mantle-hybridization and metasomatism model, the isotopic compositions of the hornblende basalts can be satisfied by ca. 5-25% addition of the mafic lithospheric component to an asthenospheric alkaline magma. Although a lack of isotope data for all required endmembers make this model somewhat speculative, the results show that the Re-Os isotope system in continental basalts is able to distinguish between crustal contamination and derivation of continental alkaline lavas from isotopically evolved peridotitic lithosphere that was contaminated by mafic material in the past and later remelted during rifting. The Hf isotopic compositions are slightly less radiogenic than in other alkaline basalts from the province and indicate the derivation of the lavas from low Lu-Hf parts of the lithospheric mantle. The new Os and Hf isotope data constrain a new light of the nature of such metasomatizing agents, at least for these particular rocks, which represent within the particular volcanic complex the first product of the volcanism.

The provenance of low-calcic black shales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinby-Hunt, M. S.; Wilde, P.

1991-04-01

The elemental concentration of sedimentary rocks depends on the varying reactivity of each element as it goes from the source through weathering, deposition, diagenesis, lithification, and even low rank metamorphism. However, non-reactive components of detrital particles ideally are characteristic of the original igneous source and thus are useful in provenance studies. To determine the source of detrital granitic and volcanic components of low-calcic (<1% CaCO3) marine black shales, the concentrations of apparently non-reactive (i.e. unaffected by diagenetic, redox and/or low-rank metamorphic processes) trace elements were examined using standard trace element discrimination diagrams developed for igneous rocks. The chemical data was obtained by neutron activation analyses of about 200 stratigraphically well-documented black shale samples from the Cambrian through the Jurassic. A La-Th-Sc ternary diagram distinguishes among contributions from the upper and bulk continental crust and the oceanic crust (Taylor and McLennan 1985). All the low-calcic black shales cluster within the region of the upper crust. Th-Hf-Co ternary diagrams also are commonly used to distinguish among the upper and bulk continental crust and the oceanic crust (Taylor and McLennan 1985). As Co is redox sensitive in black shale environments, it was necessary to substitute an immobile element (i.e. example Rb) in the diagram. With this substitution of black shales all cluster in the region of the upper continental crust. To determine the provenance of the granitic component (Pearce et al. 1984), plots of Ta vs Yb and Rb vs Yb + Ta shows a cluster at the junction of the boundaries separating the volcanic arc granite (VAG), syn-collision granite (syn-COLG), and within-plate granite (WPG) fields. The majority fall within the VAG field. There are no occurrences of ocean ridge granite (ORG). The minimal contribution of basalts to marine black shales is confirmed by the ternary Wood diagram Th-Hf/3-Ta (Wood et al. 1979). The black shales plot in a cluster in a high Th region outside the various basalt fields, which suggests contribution from the continental crust.

Primordial helium entrained by the hottest mantle plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Konter, J. G.; Becker, T. W.

2017-02-01

Helium isotopes provide an important tool for tracing early-Earth, primordial reservoirs that have survived in the planet’s interior. Volcanic hotspot lavas, like those erupted at Hawaii and Iceland, can host rare, high 3He/4He isotopic ratios (up to 50 times the present atmospheric ratio, Ra) compared to the lower 3He/4He ratios identified in mid-ocean-ridge basalts that form by melting the upper mantle (about 8Ra; ref. 5). A long-standing hypothesis maintains that the high-3He/4He domain resides in the deep mantle, beneath the upper mantle sampled by mid-ocean-ridge basalts, and that buoyantly upwelling plumes from the deep mantle transport high-3He/4He material to the shallow mantle beneath plume-fed hotspots. One problem with this hypothesis is that, while some hotspots have 3He/4He values ranging from low to high, other hotspots exhibit only low 3He/4He ratios. Here we show that, among hotspots suggested to overlie mantle plumes, those with the highest maximum 3He/4He ratios have high hotspot buoyancy fluxes and overlie regions with seismic low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle, unlike plume-fed hotspots with only low maximum 3He/4He ratios. We interpret the relationships between 3He/4He values, hotspot buoyancy flux, and upper-mantle shear wave velocity to mean that hot plumes—which exhibit seismic low-velocity anomalies at depths of 200 kilometres—are more buoyant and entrain both high-3He/4He and low-3He/4He material. In contrast, cooler, less buoyant plumes do not entrain this high-3He/4He material. This can be explained if the high-3He/4He domain is denser than low-3He/4He mantle components hosted in plumes, and if high-3He/4He material is entrained from the deep mantle only by the hottest, most buoyant plumes. Such a dense, deep-mantle high-3He/4He domain could remain isolated from the convecting mantle, which may help to explain the preservation of early Hadean (>4.5 billion years ago) geochemical anomalies in lavas sampling this reservoir.

Construction, Geology, and Aquifer Testing of the Maalo Road, Aahoaka Hill, and Upper Eleele Tank Monitor Wells, Kauai, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Izuka, Scot K.

2005-01-01

The Maalo Road, Aahoaka Hill, and Upper Eleele Tank monitor wells were constructed using rotary drilling methods between July 1998 and August 2002 as part of a program of exploratory drilling, aquifer testing, and hydrologic analysis on Kauai. Aquifer tests were conducted in the uncased boreholes of the wells. The Maalo Road monitor well in the Lihue Basin penetrated 915 feet, mostly through mafic lava flows. Most of the rock samples from this well had chemical compositions similar to the Koloa Volcanics, but the deepest sample analyzed had a composition similar to the Waimea Canyon Basalt. Water temperature ranged from 25.6 to 27.4 degrees Celsius and specific conductance ranged from 303 to 627 microsiemens per centimeter during aquifer testing. Discharge rate ranged from 174 to 220 gallons per minute and maximum drawdown was 138.25 ft during a 7-day sustained-discharge test, but the test was affected by pump and generator problems. The Aahoaka Hill monitor well in the Lihue Basin penetrated 804 feet, mostly through mafic lava flows and possibly dikes. The well penetrated rocks having chemical compositions similar to the Waimea Canyon Basalt. During the first three hours of a sustained-discharge aquifer test in which the discharge rate varied between 92 and 117 gallons per minute, water temperature was 24.6 to 25.6 degrees Celsius, and specific conductance was 212 to 238 microsiemens per centimeter; this test was halted after a short period because drawdown was high. In a subsequent 7-day test, discharge was 8 to 23 gallons per minute, and maximum drawdown was 37.71 feet after 1,515 minutes of testing. The Upper Eleele Tank monitor well is near the Hanapepe River Valley. The well penetrated 740 feet through soil, sediment, mafic lava flows, volcanic ash, and scoria. Rocks above a depth of 345 feet had compositions similar to the Koloa Volcanics, but a sample from 720 to 725 feet had a composition similar to rocks of the Waimea Canyon Basalt. During a 7-day aquifer test with a sustained discharge between 278 and 290 gallons per minute, most of the drawdown of 1.10 feet occurred in the first 455 minutes of the test. Water levels measured thereafter may have been influenced by pumping from a nearby well. Water temperature ranged from 20.2 to 21.4 degrees Celsius and specific conductance from 8,380 to 18,940 microsiemens per centimeter during the aquifer tests.

High-resolution hydro- and geo-stratigraphy at Atlantic Coastal Plain drillhole CR-622 (Strat 8)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wrege, B.M.; Isely, J.J.

2009-01-01

We interpret borehole geophysical logs in conjunction with lithology developed from continuous core to produce high-resolution hydro- and geo-stratigraphic profiles for the drillhole CR-622 (Strat 8) in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina. The resulting hydrologic and stratigraphic columns show a generalized relation between hydrologic and geologic units. Fresh-water aquifers encountered are the surficial, Yorktown, Pungo River and Castle Hayne. Geologic units present are of the middle and upper Tertiary and Quaternary periods, these are the Castle Hayne (Eocene), Pungo River (Miocene), Yorktown (Pliocene), James City and Flanner Beach (Pleistocene), and the topsoil (Holocene). The River Bend Formation (Oligocene) is missing as a distinct unit between the Pungo River Formation and the Castle Hayne Formation. The confining unit underlying the Yorktown Aquifer corresponds to the Yorktown Geologic Unit. The remaining hydrologic units and geologic units are hydrologically transitional and non-coincident. The lower Pungo River Formation serves as the confining unit for the Castle Hayne Aquifer, rather than the River Bend Aquifer, and separates the Pungo River Aquifer from the upper Castle Hayne Aquifer. All geologic formations were bound by unconformities. All aquifers were confined by the anticipated hydrologic units. We conclude that CR-622 (Strat 8) represents a normal sequence in the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Betwixt and Between: Structure and Evolution of Central Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, A.; Ancuta, L. D.; Carlson, R. W.; Caves, J. K.; Chamberlain, C. P.; Gosse, J. C.; Idleman, B. D.; Ionov, D. A.; McDannell, K. T.; Tamra, M.; Mix, H.; Munkhuu, U.; Russo, R.; Sabaj-Perez, M.; Sahagian, D. L.; Sjostrom, D. J.; Smith, S. G.; Stachnik, J. C.; Tsagaan, B.; Wegmann, K. W.; Winnick, M. J.; Zeitler, P. K.; Prousevitch, A.

2015-12-01

Central Mongolia sits deep in the Asian continental interior between the Siberian craton to the north, the edge of the India-Asia collision to the south, and far-field subduction of the Pacific plate to the east. It has a complex geologic history comprising Archean to Early Proterozoic crystalline rocks modified by accretionary events in the Paleozoic, and Cenozoic deformation and basalt volcanism that continues today. Within central Mongolia, the broad domal Hangay upland is embedded in the greater Mongolian Plateau. Elevations within the dome average ~1.5 km above the regional trend and locally reach ~4000 m. This elevated landscape hosts a low-relief surface cut into crystalline basement, and a 30 Ma record of intermittent basalt magmatism. Here we integrate observations from geomorphology, geochronology, paleoaltimetry, biogeography, petrology, geochemistry, and seismology to document the timing, rate, and pattern of surface uplift in the Hangay and more broadly to understand the geodynamics of the Mongolian plateau. Results from mantle and crustal xenoliths, seismology, thermochronology, and basalt geochemistry are consistent with: a high geothermal gradient with temperatures reaching ~900°C at 60 km depth, intercepting the mantle adiabat at ~90 km depth; an uppermost mantle composed mostly of fertile peridotites; low-volume Cenozoic basaltic magmatism sourced below the lithosphere, with isotopic characteristics similar to much east-Asian Cenozoic mafic volcanism; a 42-57 km-thick crust of island-arc affinity formed during accretion of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt; elevations supported primarily by crustal isostasy; slow exhumation (30-100 m/My) over hundreds of millions of years; and long-term thermal stability of the upper crust and relief lowering since the Mesozoic. Results from geomorphology, paleoaltimetry, fish genetics, and basalt geochronology imply that drainage divides are stable since the mid-Miocene with modest surface uplift (up to 1 km) and topographic relief up to 800 m remaining largely unchanged since ~10 Ma. Surprisingly, this area of remarkable stability over significant time and space sits above a shallow convecting mantle and hosts some of the largest recorded intracontinental earthquakes.

Scaling of Viscous Shear Zones with Depth Dependent Viscosity and Power Law Stress-strain Rate Dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, A.; Ancuta, L. D.; Carlson, R. W.; Caves, J. K.; Chamberlain, C. P.; Gosse, J. C.; Idleman, B. D.; Ionov, D. A.; McDannell, K. T.; Tamra, M.; Mix, H.; Munkhuu, U.; Russo, R.; Sabaj-Perez, M.; Sahagian, D. L.; Sjostrom, D. J.; Smith, S. G.; Stachnik, J. C.; Tsagaan, B.; Wegmann, K. W.; Winnick, M. J.; Zeitler, P. K.; Prousevitch, A.

2014-12-01

Central Mongolia sits deep in the Asian continental interior between the Siberian craton to the north, the edge of the India-Asia collision to the south, and far-field subduction of the Pacific plate to the east. It has a complex geologic history comprising Archean to Early Proterozoic crystalline rocks modified by accretionary events in the Paleozoic, and Cenozoic deformation and basalt volcanism that continues today. Within central Mongolia, the broad domal Hangay upland is embedded in the greater Mongolian Plateau. Elevations within the dome average ~1.5 km above the regional trend and locally reach ~4000 m. This elevated landscape hosts a low-relief surface cut into crystalline basement, and a 30 Ma record of intermittent basalt magmatism. Here we integrate observations from geomorphology, geochronology, paleoaltimetry, biogeography, petrology, geochemistry, and seismology to document the timing, rate, and pattern of surface uplift in the Hangay and more broadly to understand the geodynamics of the Mongolian plateau. Results from mantle and crustal xenoliths, seismology, thermochronology, and basalt geochemistry are consistent with: a high geothermal gradient with temperatures reaching ~900°C at 60 km depth, intercepting the mantle adiabat at ~90 km depth; an uppermost mantle composed mostly of fertile peridotites; low-volume Cenozoic basaltic magmatism sourced below the lithosphere, with isotopic characteristics similar to much east-Asian Cenozoic mafic volcanism; a 42-57 km-thick crust of island-arc affinity formed during accretion of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt; elevations supported primarily by crustal isostasy; slow exhumation (30-100 m/My) over hundreds of millions of years; and long-term thermal stability of the upper crust and relief lowering since the Mesozoic. Results from geomorphology, paleoaltimetry, fish genetics, and basalt geochronology imply that drainage divides are stable since the mid-Miocene with modest surface uplift (up to 1 km) and topographic relief up to 800 m remaining largely unchanged since ~10 Ma. Surprisingly, this area of remarkable stability over significant time and space sits above a shallow convecting mantle and hosts some of the largest recorded intracontinental earthquakes.

Enhanced methane emission during carbonaceous sediment-basalt interactions as a mechanism for mass extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubo, A. I.; Day, J. M.; Ryabov, V. V.; Taylor, L. A.

2016-12-01

Precise dating techniques have established the contemporaneous eruption of the Siberian Traps at the beginning of the Permian faunal mass extinction at 248 ± 2 Ma. Within a relatively limited time-period ( 1 Ma), the Siberian Traps expelled approximately ninety percent of its total volume ( 1.5 Mkm3), each episode of volcanism adding substantial amounts of CO2, CH4, and SO2 to the atmosphere. The Permian-Triassic Boundary shows average organic carbon isotope excursions of -6.4 ± 4.4‰ (253 Ma), from a long-term average δ13Corg of -25‰. Retallack and Jahren [2008; Journal of Geology] suggested that eruption into C-rich sediments and resulting methane degassing would satisfy necessary conditions to cause such large, variable perturbations in the carbon isotope record. To test this hypothesis, we measured C isotope variations in upper crustal sediments and metalliferous basalts from the Khungtukun and Dzhatul Intrusions, of the Siberian Traps. We find that δ13C values for Siberian coal and sandstones are restricted at -23 to -25‰, with similar values measured in the metalliferous basalts. Anticipated thermogenic methane from disassociation of these sources would be considerably lighter and consistent with low δ13C isotopic values. We further test this mechanism by employing a zero dimensional energy balance model to examine three key parameters: eruption duration, amounts of CO2 and CH4 emission, and the frequency of eruptions. Greater methane emissions than previously estimated due to carbonaceous sediment-basalt interactions have a sustained temperature effect due to high global warming potential (GWP), between 28 and 36 over 100 years compared to the CO2 reference value. Our model predicts that a quick succession of massive effusive eruptions would cause a sustained and substantial temperature effect consistent with estimated equatorial levels of 40°C during the Permian-Triassic Boundary. This mechanism could explain the deficit between the amount of volatiles necessary to cause a runaway greenhouse effect and the estimated emission of flood basalts.

Experimental determination of C, F, and H partitioning between mantle minerals and carbonated basalt, CO2/Ba and CO2/Nb systematics of partial melting, and the CO2 contents of basaltic source regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, A.; Hauri, E. H.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2015-02-01

To determine partitioning of C between upper mantle silicate minerals and basaltic melts, we executed 26 experiments between 0.8 and 3 GPa and 1250-1500 °C which yielded 37 mineral/glass pairs suitable for C analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). To enhance detection limits, experiments were conducted with 13C-enriched bulk compositions. Independent measurements of 13C and 12C in coexisting phases produced two C partition coefficients for each mineral pair and allowed assessment of the approach to equilibrium during each experiment. Concentrations of C in olivine (ol), orthopyroxene (opx), clinopyroxene (cpx) and garnet (gt) range from 0.2 to 3.5 ppm, and resulting C partition coefficients for ol/melt, opx/melt, cpx/melt and gt/melt are, respectively, 0.0007 ± 0.0004 (n = 2), 0.0003 ± 0.0002 (n = 45), 0.0005 ± 0.0004 (n = 17) and 0.0001 ± 0.00007 (n = 5). The effective partition coefficient of C during partial melting of peridotite is 0.00055 ± 0.00025, and therefore C is significantly more incompatible than Nb, slightly more compatible than Ba, and, among refractory trace elements, most similar in behavior to U or Th. Experiments also yielded partition coefficients for F and H between minerals and melts. Combining new and previous values of DFmineral/melt yields bulk DFperidotite/melt = 0.011 ± 0.002, which suggests that F behaves similarly to La during partial melting of peridotite. Values of DHpyx/melt correlate with tetrahedral Al along a trend consistent with previously published determinations. Small-degree partial melting of the mantle results in considerable CO2/Nb fractionation, which is likely the cause of high CO2/Nb evident in some Nb-rich oceanic basalts. CO2/Ba is much less easily fractionated, with incompatible-element-enriched partial melts having lower CO2/Ba than less enriched basalts. Comparison of calculated behavior of CO2, Nb, and Ba to systematics of oceanic basalts suggests that depleted (DMM-like) sources have 75 ± 25 ppm CO2 (CO2/Nb = 505 ± 168, CO2/Ba = 133 ± 44), whereas enriched sources of intraplate basalts similar in concentrations to primitive mantle have 600 ± 200 ppm CO2. If all mantle reservoirs are expressed in the current inventory of oceanic basalts for which nearly undegassed CO2 concentrations are available, then we estimate the likely range of mantle C concentrations to be 1.4-4.8 × 1023 grams of C, or 1.5-5.2 times the mass of the current C surface reservoir. Depending on the assumed Ba and Nb contents of average oceanic crust, resulting ridge fluxes of C range from 7.2 × 1013 to 2.9 × 1014 g/yr.

Future Volcanism at Yucca Mountain - Statistical Insights from the Non-Detection of Basalt Intrusions in the Potential Repository

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, N.; Abramson, L.

2004-05-01

Yucca Mt. (YM) is a potential repository site for high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel. One issue is the potential for future igneous activity to intersect the repository. If the event probability is <1E-8/yr, it need not be considered in licensing. Plio-Quaternary volcanos and older basalts occur near YM. Connor et al (JGR, 2000) estimate a probability of 1E-8/yr to 1E-7/yr for a basaltic dike to intersect the potential repository. Based on aeromagnetic data, Hill and Stamatakos (CNWRA, 2002) propose that additional volcanos may lie buried in nearby basins. They suggest if these volcanos are part of temporal-clustered volcanic activity, the probability of an intrusion may be as high as 1E-6/yr. We examine whether recurrence probabilities >2E-7/yr are realistic given that no dikes have been found in or above the 1.3E7 yr-old potential repository block. For 2E-7/yr (or 1E-6/yr), the expected number of penetrating dikes is 2.6 (respectively, 13), and the probability of at least one penetration is 0.93 (0.999). These results are not consistent with the exploration evidence. YM is one of the most intensively studied places on Earth. Over 20 yrs of studies have included surface and subsurface mapping, geophysical surveys, construction of 10+ km of tunnels in the mountain, drilling of many boreholes, and construction of many pits (DOE, Site Recommendation, 2002). It seems unlikely that multiple dikes could exist within the proposed repository footprint and escape detection. A dike complex dated 11.7 Ma (Smith et al, UNLV, 1997) or 10 Ma (Carr and Parrish, 1985) does exist NW of YM and west of the main Solitario Canyon Fault. These basalts intruded the Tiva Canyon Tuff (12.7 Ma) in an epoch of caldera-forming pyroclastic eruptions that ended millions of yrs ago. We would conclude that basaltic volcanism related to Miocene silicic volcanism may also have ended. Given the nondetection of dikes in the potential repository, we can use a Poisson model to estimate an upper-bound probability of 2E-7/yr (95% conf. level) for an igneous intrusion over the next 1E4 yrs. If we assume one undiscovered dike exists, the upper-bound probability would rise to 4E-7/yr. Higher probabilities may be possible if conditions that fostered Plio-Quaternary volcanism became enhanced over time. To the contrary, basalts of the past 11 Ma in Crater Flat have erupted in four episodes that together show a declining trend in erupted magma volume (DOE, TBD13, 2003). Smith et al (GSA Today, 2002) suggest there may be a common magma source for volcanism in Crater Flat and the Lunar Crater volcanic field, and that recurrence rates for YM could be underestimated. Their interpretation is highly speculative given the 130-km (80-mi) distance between these zones. A claim that crustal extension at YM is anomalously large, possibly favoring renewed volcanism (Wernicke et al, Science, 1999), was contradicted by later work (Savage et al, JGR, 2000). Spatial-temporal models that predict future intrusion probabilities of >2E-7/yr may be overly conservative and unrealistic. Along with currently planned site characterization activities, realistic models could be developed by considering the non-detection of basaltic dikes in the potential repository footprint. (The views expressed are the authors' and do not reflect any final judgment or determination by the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding the matters addressed or the acceptability of a license application for a geologic repository at Yucca Mt.)

Geology of the Anlauf and Drain Quadrangles, Douglas and Lane Counties, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoover, Linn

1963-01-01

The Anlauf and Drain quadrangles, Oregon, lie about 20 miles south of the city of Eugene, in Douglas and Lane Counties. They constitute an area of about 435 square miles that includes parts of both the Cascade Range and Coast Range physiographic provinces. A sequence of lower Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks with a maximum thickness of about 20,000 feet is exposed in the area. The oldest part of this sequence is the Umpqua formation of early Eocene age consisting of a lower member of vesicular and amygdaloidal olivine basalt flows, a middle member of water-laid vitric and lapilli crystal tuff, and an upper member of interbedded fissile siltstone and basaltic sandstone which contains a 300-foot tongue of massive to thick-bedded basaltic sandstone near its top. These rocks are predominantly of marine origin, although the general absence of pillow structures which are common in basaltic lavas of equivalent age elsewhere in the Coast Ranges suggests that some of the flows were poured out subaerially. The overlying tuff member, however, contains Foraminifera and in places has a lime content slightly in excess of 10 percent. Mollusca and Foraminifera indicate that the Umpqua formation is of early Eocene age and is a correlative of the Capay formation of California. The Tyee formation of middle Eocene age overlies the Umpqua formation and consists of more than 5,000 feet of rhythmically deposited sandstone and siltstone in beds 2 to 30 feet thick. The basal part of each bed consists of medium- to coarse-grained sandstone that grades upward into fine-grained sand- stone and siltstone. The principal constituents of the sandstone are quartz, partly a1tered feldspar, mica, clay, and fragments of basalt, fine-grained argillaceous rocks, and mica schist. Other detrital minerals include epidote, garnet, blue-green hornblende, tourmaline, and zoisite. The depositional environment of the Tyee formation is poorly known, although the rhythmic-graded bedding suggests turbidity currents. About 500 feet of sandstone and siltstone assigned to the Spencer formation of late Eocene age unconformably overlies the Tyee formation. The Spencer formation, better exposed in the east-central part of the Coast Ranges, contains marine fossils but also has thin impure coal beds, indicative of strand-line accumulation. The sandstone in the Spencer formation is very similar to that in the Tyee formation, from which it was probably derived. The Fisher formation contains about 5,500 feet of nonmarine pyroclastic and volcanic rocks that are related to the volcanic rock sequences of the western Cascade Range. The formation is characterized by a wide variety of rock types, including conglomerate, tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone, vitric and crystal tuff, waterlaid and mudflow breccia, and andesitic lava flows. These rocks gen- erally occur in lenticular beds that have little stratigraphic significance. The rocks apparently accumulated on a plain slightly above sea level that was subjected alternately to fiooding by running water and to desiccation. Fossil leaves from the lowermost part of the Fisher formation are of late Eocene age; the upper part of the formation is of early, and possibly niiddle, Oligocene age. A few exposures of olivine basalt were mapped in the extreme northern part of the Anlauf quadrangle. The flows, more extensively exposed to the north, overlie the Fisher formation, and, therefore, are tentatively considered to be post-Oligocene in age. All these stratigraphic units, but principally the Fisher formation, are cut by dikes, sills, and stocklike bodies of 'porphyritic basalt, diabase, and norite. Contemporaneously with the emplacement of most of these rocks, in late Miocene (?) time, hydrothermal solutions locailly altered the sedimentary and extrusive igneous racks and deposited cinnabar and other sulfide minerals, carbonates, and silica. Three parallel nartheastward-trending

Initiation of long-term coupled microbiological, geochemical, and hydrological experimentation within the seafloor at North Pond, western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edwards, K.J.; Backert, N.; Bach, W.; Becker, K.; Klaus, A.; Griffin, Dale W.; Anderson, L.; Haddad, A.G.; Harigane, Y.; Campion, P.L.; Hirayama, H.; Mills, H.J.; Hulme, S.M.; Nakamura, K.; Jorgensen, S.L.; Orcutt, B.; Insua, T.L.; Park, Y.-S.; Rennie, V.; Salas, E.C.; Rouxel, O.; Wang, F.; Russel, J.A.; Wheat, C.G.; Sakata, K.; Brown, M.; Magnusson, J.L.; Ettlinger, Z.

2012-01-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 336 successfully initiated subseafloor observatory science at a young mid-ocean-ridge flank setting. All of the drilled sites are located in the North Pond region of the Atlantic Ocean (22??45'N, 46??05'W) in 4414-4483 m water depth. This area is known from previous ocean drilling and site survey investigations as a site of particularly vigorous circulation of seawater in permeable 8 Ma basaltic basement underlying a <300 m thick sedimentary pile. Understanding how this seawater circulation affects microbial and geochemical processes in the uppermost basement was the primary science objective of Expedition 336. Basement was cored and wireline-logged in Holes U1382A and U1383C. Upper oceanic crust in Hole U1382A, which is only 50 m west of Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Hole 395A, recovered 32 m of core between 110 and 210 meters below seafloor (mbsf). Core recovery in basement was 32%, yielding a number of volcanic flow units with distinct geochemical and petrographic characteristics. A unit of sedimentary breccia containing clasts of basalt, gabbroic rocks, and mantle peridotite was found intercalated between two volcanic flow units and was interpreted as a rock slide deposit. From Hole U1383C we recovered 50.3 m of core between 69.5 and 331.5 mbsf (19%). The basalts are aphyric to highly plagioclase-olivine-phyric tholeiites that fall on a liquid line of descent controlled by olivine fractionation. They are fresh to moderately altered, with clay minerals (saponite, nontronite, and celadonite), Fe oxyhydroxide, carbonate, and zeolite as secondary phases replacing glass and olivine to variable extents. In addition to traditional downhole logs, we also used a new logging tool for detecting in situ microbial life in ocean floor boreholes-the Deep Exploration Biosphere Investigative tool (DEBI-t). Sediment thickness was ???90 m at Sites U1382 and U1384 and varied between 38 and 53 m at Site U1383. The sediments are predominantly nannofossil ooze with layers of coarse foraminiferal sand and occasional pebble-size clasts of basalt, serpentinite, gabbroic rocks, and bivalve debris. The bottommost meters of sections cored with the advanced piston corer feature brown clay. Extended core barrel coring at the sediment/basement interface recovered <1 m of brecciated basalt with micritic limestone. Sediments were intensely sampled for geochemical pore water analyses and microbiological work. In addition, high-resolution measurements of dissolved oxygen concentration were performed on the whole-round sediment cores. Major strides in ridge-flank studies have been made with subseafloor borehole observatories (CORKs) because they facilitate combined hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological studies and controlled experimentation in the subseafloor. During Expedition 336, two fully functional observatories were installed in two newly drilled holes (U1382A and U1383C) and an instrument and sampling string were placed in an existing hole (395A). Although the CORK wellhead in Hole 395A broke off and Hole U1383B was abandoned after a bit failure, these holes and installations are intended for future observatory science targets. The CORK observatory in Hole U1382A has a packer seal in the bottom of the casing and monitors/samples a single zone in uppermost oceanic crust extending from 90 to 210 mbsf. Hole U1383C was equipped with a three-level CORK observatory that spans a zone of thin basalt flows with intercalated limestone (???70-146 mbsf), a zone of glassy, thin basaltic flows and hyaloclastites (146-200 mbsf), and a lowermost zone (???200-331.5 mbsf) of more massive pillow flows with occasional hyaloclastites in the upper part.

Upper limb musculoskeletal complaints among technicians working in a diagnostic tuberculosis laboratory: two case reports.

PubMed

Wong, Joyce Y P; Chin, David; Fung, Henry; Li, Ann; Wong, Marcus M S; Kwok, Henry K H

2014-01-01

Upper limb musculoskeletal complaints are common among certain health professionals. We report two cases, both involving technicians working in a diagnostic tuberculosis laboratory in Hong Kong. A work process evaluation suggest that the need to repeatedly open and close small bottles, as well as to work for prolonged periods of time in confined areas, could be related to the workers' clinical presentation. The cases are also compatible with the diagnosis of repetitive strain injury (RSI) of the upper limb, but this term is not commonly used nowadays because of various definitional issues. A review of the various diagnostic issues in RSI is presented.

Grain-scale alignment of melt in sheared partially molten rocks: implications for viscous anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pec, Matej; Quintanilla-Terminel, Alejandra; Holtzman, Benjamin; Zimmerman, Mark; Kohlstedt, David

2016-04-01

Presence of melt significantly influences rheological properties of partially molten rocks by providing fast diffusional pathways. Under stress, melt aligns at the grain scale and this alignment induces viscous anisotropy in the deforming aggregate. One of the consequences of viscous anisotropy is melt segregation into melt-rich sheets oriented at low angle to the shear plane on much larger scales than the grain scale. The magnitude and orientation of viscous anisotropy with respect to the applied stress are important parameters for constitutive models (Takei and Holtzman 2009) that must be constrained by experimental studies. In this contribution, we analyze the shape preferred orientation (SPO) of individual grain-scale melt pockets in deformed partially molten mantle rocks. The starting materials were obtained by isostatically hot-pressing olivine + basalt and olivine + chromite + basalt powders. These partially molten rocks were deformed in general shear or torsion at a confining pressure, Pc = 300 MPa, temperature, T = 1200° - 1250° C, and strain rates of 10-3 - 10-5 s-1to finite shear strains, γ, of 0.5 - 5. After the experiment, high resolution backscattered electron images were obtained using a SEM equipped with a field emission gun. Individual melt pockets were segmented and their SPO analyzed using the paror and surfor methods and Fourier transforms (Heilbronner and Barret 2014). Melt segregation into melt-rich sheets inclined at 15° -20° antithetic with respect to the shear plane occurs in three-phase system (olivine + chromite + basalt) and in two-phase systems (olivine + basalt) twisted to high strain. The SPO of individual melt pockets within the melt-rich bands is moderately strong (b/a ≈ 0.8) and is always steeper (20° -40°) than the average melt-rich band orientation. In the two-phase system (olivine + basalt) sheared to lower strains, no distinct melt-rich sheets are observed. Individual grain-scale melt pockets are oriented at 45° -55° antithetic with respect to the shear plane (i.e., sub-perpendicular to σ3) with a strong SPO (b/a ≈ 0.7) that decreases with increasing finite strain. Our observations of melt alignment at low strains are in agreement with observations performed on analogue materials (borneol, Takei 2010) and provide further constraints for the orientation of viscous anisotropy in the Earth's mantle. The systematic difference in grain-scale melt alignment between samples in which melt segregation did and did not occur - irrespective of the deformation geometry and mineralogy - suggests that melt segregation into bands leads to local stress rotation within the samples.

Confinement of the solar tachocline by a cyclic dynamo magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnabé, Roxane; Strugarek, Antoine; Charbonneau, Paul; Brun, Allan Sacha; Zahn, Jean-Paul

2017-05-01

Context. The surprising thinness of the solar tachocline is still not understood with certainty today. Among the numerous possible scenarios suggested to explain its radial confinement, one hypothesis is based on Maxwell stresses that are exerted by the cyclic dynamo magnetic field of the Sun penetrating over a skin depth below the turbulent convection zone. Aims: Our goal is to assess under which conditions (turbulence level in the tachocline, strength of the dynamo-generated field, spreading mechanism) this scenario can be realized in the solar tachocline. Methods: We develop a simplified 1D model of the upper tachocline under the influence of an oscillating magnetic field imposed from above. The turbulent transport is parametrized with enhanced turbulent diffusion (or anti-diffusion) coefficients. Two main processes that thicken the tachocline are considered; either turbulent viscous spreading or radiative spreading. An extensive parameter study is carried out to establish the physical parameter regimes under which magnetic confinement of the tachocline that is due to a surface dynamo field can be realized. Results: We have explored a large range of magnetic field amplitudes, viscosities, ohmic diffusivities and thermal diffusivities. We find that, for large but still realistic magnetic field strengths, the differential rotation can be suppressed in the upper radiative zone (and hence the tachocline confined) if weak turbulence is present (with an enhanced ohmic diffusivity of η> 107-8 cm2/ s), even in the presence of radiative spreading. Conclusions: Our results show that a dynamo magnetic field can, in the presence of weak turbulence, prevent the inward burrowing of a tachocline subject to viscous diffusion or radiative spreading.

Geochemistry of the Floridan aquifer system in Florida and in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sprinkle, Craig L.

1989-01-01

The chemical quality of the ground water in the Floridan aquifer system is determined primarily by mineral-water interaction. However, some changes in water quality have been imposed by development, particularly near coastal pumping centers. A total of 601 chemical analyses, all from different wells, most completed in the upper part of the aquifer system, were used to describe the variations in water chemistry and to study the processes responsible for observed changes. The Floridan aquifer system is a vertically continuous sequence of Tertiary carbonate rocks that are of generally high permeability and are hydraulically connected in varying degrees. The rocks are principally limestone and dolomite, but they grade into limy sands and clays near the aquifer system's updip limits. Major minerals in the aquifer system are calcite, dolomite, and, locally, gypsum or quartz; minor minerals include apatite, glauconite, and clay minerals such as kaolinite and montmorillonite. Trace amounts of metallic oxides or sulfides are present in some areas. The aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers, separated in most places by a less permeable confining unit that has highly variable hydraulic properties. Only the Upper Floridan aquifer is present throughout the study area. Freshwater enters the aquifer system in outcrop areas located primarily in central Georgia and north-central Florida. Discharge occurs chiefly to streams and springs and, to a lesser extent, directly into the sea. Most of the flow into and out of the system takes place where it is unconfined or where the upper confining unit is thin. Secondary permeability developed by dissolution of aquifer material is most prominent in these areas of dynamic flow. Dissolved-solids concentrations in water from the Upper Floridan aquifer generally range from less than 25 milligrams per liter near outcrops to more than 25,000 milligrams per liter along the coasts. The dominant cations in the ground water are Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+; the dominant anions are HCO3-, Cl-, and SO42-, The concentration of Ca2+ is controlled primarily by calcite saturation. Concentrations of Mg2+, NA+, and Cl- are highest where mixing of freshwater and saltwater occurs. Concentrations of HCO3- reflect the control of calcite solubility. The concentration of SO42- is highest where gypsiferous rock units are present in the aquifer system. The major geochemical processes that occur in the Upper Floridan aquifer, based on water-quality maps and computations using a geochemical model, are (1) dissolution of aquifer minerals toward equilibrium, (2) mixing of ground water with recharge, leakage, or seawater, (3) sulfate reduction, and (4) cation exchange between water and aquifer minerals. Similar processes apparently control minor dissolved constituents, although quantification is difficult with the available data. Statistical tests of available nutrient data indicate that concentrations of N (nitrogen) species in unconfined recharge areas may be increasing over time; more detailed studies of all N species are needed to test this hypothesis, however. Data on trace metals, radionuclides, and man-made organic contaminants are limited. Available data indicate that most freshwater within the Upper Floridan is potable, but detection of pesticides in a few samples indicates that the system is susceptible to contamination from the land surface in some areas, particularly where its upper confining unit is thin or absent. Geochemical models were used to examine changes in major chemical elements along selected ground-water paths within the Upper Floridan aquifer. Water in the Upper Floridan aquifer can be categorized into four hydrochemical facies, whose exact distribution is determined by confined or unconfined conditions of the aquifer and by chloride concentrations. The reaction models are considered plausible based on available chemical, isotopic, and hydrologic information, and they

Nd, Sr, and O isotopic variations in metaluminous ash-flow tuffs and related volcanic rocks at the Timber Mountain/Oasis Valley Caldera, Complex, SW Nevada: implications for the origin and evolution of large-volume silicic magma bodies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farmer, G.L.; Broxton, D.E.; Warren, R.G.; Pickthorn, W.

1991-01-01

Nd, Sr and O isotopic data were obtained from silicic ash-flow tuffs and lavas at the Tertiary age (16-9 Ma) Timber (Mountain/Oasis Valley volcanic center (TMOV) in southern Nevada, to assess models for the origin and evolution of the large-volume silicic magma bodies generated in this region. The large-volume (>900 km3), chemically-zoned, Topopah Spring (TS) and Tiva Canyon (TC) members of the Paintbrush Tuff, and the Rainier Mesa (RM) and Ammonia Tanks (AT) members of the younger Timber Mountain Tuff all have internal Nd and Sr isotopic zonations. In each tuff, high-silica rhyolites have lower initial e{open}Nd values (???1 e{open}Nd unit), higher87Sr/86Sr, and lower Nd and Sr contents, than cocrupted trachytes. The TS, TC, and RM members have similar e{open}Nd values for high-silica rhyolites (-11.7 to -11.2) and trachytes (-10.5 to -10.7), but the younger AT member has a higher e{open}Nd for both compositional types (-10.3 and -9.4). Oxygen isotope data confirm that the TC and AT members were derived from low e{open}Nd magmas. The internal Sr and Nd isotopic variations in each tuff are interpreted to be the result of the incorporation of 20-40% (by mass) wall-rock into magmas that were injected into the upper crust. The low e{open}Nd magmas most likely formed via the incorporation of low ??18O, hydrothermally-altered, wall-rock. Small-volume rhyolite lavas and ash-flow tuffs have similar isotopic characteristics to the large-volume ash-flow tuffs, but lavas erupted from extracaldera vents may have interacted with higher ??18O crustal rocks peripheral to the main magma chamber(s). Andesitic lavas from the 13-14 Ma Wahmonie/Salyer volcanic center southeast of the TMOV have low e{open}Nd (-13.2 to -13.8) and are considered on the basis of textural evidence to be mixtures of basaltic composition magmas and large proportions (70-80%) of anatectic crustal melts. A similar process may have occurred early in the magmatic history of the TMOV. The large-volume rhyolites may represent a mature stage of magmatism after repeated injection of basaltic magmas, crustal melting, and volcanism cleared sufficient space in the upper crust for large magma bodies to accumulate and differentiate. The TMOV rhyolites and 0-10 Ma old basalts that erupted in southern Nevada all have similar Nd and Sr isotopic compositions, which suggests that silicic and mafic magmatism at the TMOV were genetically related. The distinctive isotopic compositions of the AT member may reflect temporal changes in the isotopic compositions of basaltic magmas entering the upper crust, possibly as a result of increasing "basification" of a lower crustal magma source by repeated injection of mantle-derived mafic magmas. ?? 1991 Springer-Verlag.

Simulation of groundwater storage changes in the eastern Pasco Basin, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heywood, Charles E.; Kahle, Sue C.; Olsen, Theresa D.; Patterson, James D.; Burns, Erick

2016-03-29

The Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group and younger sedimentary deposits of lacustrine, fluvial, eolian, and cataclysmic-flood origins compose the aquifer system of the Pasco Basin in eastern Washington. Irrigation return flow and canal leakage from the Columbia Basin Project have caused groundwater levels to rise substantially in some areas, contributing to landslides along the Columbia River. Water resource managers are considering extraction of additional stored groundwater to supply increasing demand and possibly mitigate problems caused by the increased water levels. To help address these concerns, the transient groundwater model of the Pasco Basin documented in this report was developed to quantify the changes in groundwater flow and storage. The MODFLOW model uses a 1-kilometer finite-difference grid and is constrained by logs and water levels from 846 wells in the study area. Eight model layers represent five sedimentary hydrogeologic units and underlying basalt formations. Head‑dependent flux boundaries represent the Columbia and Snake Rivers to the west and south, respectively, underflow to and (or) from adjacent areas to the northeast, and discharge to agricultural drains, springs, and groundwater withdrawal wells. Specified flux boundaries represent recharge from infiltrated precipitation and anthropogenic sources, including irrigation return flow and leakage from water-distribution canals. The model was calibrated with the parameter‑estimation code PEST++ to groundwater levels measured from 1907 through 2013 and measured discharge to springs and estimated discharge to agricultural drains. Increased recharge since pre-development resulted in a 6.8 million acre-feet increase in storage in the 508-14 administrative area of the Pasco Basin. Four groundwater-management scenarios simulate the 7-year drawdown resulting from withdrawals in different locations. Withdrawals of 2 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) from a hypothetical well field in the upper Ringold Formation along the Columbia River could generate 30–70 feet of drawdown, which may reduce landslide susceptibility along the White Bluffs. Drawdowns resulting from a 1 Mgal/d withdrawal from wells screened in either Pasco gravels, upper Ringold Formation, or both Ringold Formation and underlying basalt are simulated in the other three scenarios, and differ because of the contrasting hydraulic conductivities within the screened intervals.

Nonexplosive and explosive magma/wet-sediment interaction during emplacement of Eocene intrusions into Cretaceous to Eocene strata, Trans-Pecos igneous province, West Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Befus, K.S.; Hanson, R.E.; Miggins, D.P.; Breyer, J.A.; Busbey, A.B.

2009-01-01

Eocene intrusion of alkaline basaltic to trachyandesitic magmas into unlithified, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to Eocene fluvial strata in part of the Trans-Pecos igneous province in West Texas produced an array of features recording both nonexplosive and explosive magma/wet-sediment interaction. Intrusive complexes with 40Ar/39Ar dates of ~ 47-46??Ma consist of coherent basalt, peperite, and disrupted sediment. Two of the complexes cutting Cretaceous strata contain masses of conglomerate derived from Eocene fluvial deposits that, at the onset of intrusive activity, would have been > 400-500??m above the present level of exposure. These intrusive complexes are inferred to be remnants of diatremes that fed maar volcanoes during an early stage of magmatism in this part of the Trans-Pecos province. Disrupted Cretaceous strata along diatreme margins record collapse of conduit walls during and after subsurface phreatomagmatic explosions. Eocene conglomerate slumped downward from higher levels during vent excavation. Coherent to pillowed basaltic intrusions emplaced at the close of explosive activity formed peperite within the conglomerate, within disrupted Cretaceous strata in the conduit walls, and within inferred remnants of the phreatomagmatic slurry that filled the vents during explosive volcanism. A younger series of intrusions with 40Ar/39Ar dates of ~ 42??Ma underwent nonexplosive interaction with Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene mud and sand. Dikes and sills show fluidal, billowed, quenched margins against the host strata, recording development of surface instabilities between magma and groundwater-rich sediment. Accentuation of billowed margins resulted in propagation of intrusive pillows into the adjacent sediment. More intense disruption and mingling of quenched magma with sediment locally produced fluidal and blocky peperite, but sufficient volumes of pore fluid were not heated rapidly enough to generate phreatomagmatic explosions. This work suggests that Trans-Pecos Texas may be an important locale for the study of subvolcanic phreatomagmatic processes and associated phenomena. Eocene intrusions in the study area underwent complex interactions with wet sediment at shallow levels beneath the surface in strata as old as Maastrichtian, which must have remained unlithified and rich in pore water for ~ 20-25??Ma. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isotopic and trace element constraints on the petrogenesis of lavas from the Mount Adams volcanic field, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jicha, B.R.; Hart, G.L.; Johnson, C.M.; Hildreth, Wes; Beard, B.L.; Shirey, S.B.; Valley, J.W.

2009-01-01

Strontium, Nd, Pb, Hf, Os, and O isotope compositions for 30 Quaternary lava flows from the Mount Adams stratovolcano and its basaltic periphery in the Cascade arc, southern Washington, USA indicate a major component from intraplate mantle sources, a relatively small subduction component, and interaction with young mafic crust at depth. Major- and trace-element patterns for Mount Adams lavas are distinct from the rear-arc Simcoe volcanic field and other nearby volcanic centers in the Cascade arc such as Mount St. Helens. Radiogenic isotope (Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf) compositions do not correlate with geochemical indicators of slab-fluids such as (Sr/P)n and Ba/Nb. Mass-balance modeling calculations, coupled with trace-element and isotopic data, indicate that although the mantle source for the calc-alkaline Adams basalts has been modified with a fluid derived from subducted sediment, the extent of modification is significantly less than what is documented in the southern Cascades. The isotopic and trace-element compositions of most Mount Adams lavas require the presence of enriched and depleted mantle sources, and based on volume-weighted chemical and isotopic compositions for Mount Adams lavas through time, an intraplate mantle source contributed the major magmatic mass of the system. Generation of basaltic andesites to dacites at Mount Adams occurred by assimilation and fractional crystallization in the lower crust, but wholesale crustal melting did not occur. Most lavas have Tb/Yb ratios that are significantly higher than those of MORB, which is consistent with partial melting of the mantle in the presence of residual garnet. ??18O values for olivine phenocrysts in Mount Adams lavas are within the range of typical upper mantle peridotites, precluding involvement of upper crustal sedimentary material or accreted terrane during magma ascent. The restricted Nd and Hf isotope compositions of Mount Adams lavas indicate that these isotope systems are insensitive to crustal interaction in this juvenile arc, in stark contrast to Os isotopes, which are highly sensitive to interaction with young, mafic material in the lower crust. ?? Springer-Verlag 2008.

The degassing history of the Earth: Noble gas studies of Archaean cherts and zero age glassy submarine basalts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, R.; Hogan, L.

1985-01-01

Recent noble gas studies suggests the Earth's atmosphere outgassed from the Earth's upper mantle synchronous with sea floor spreading, ocean ridge hydrothermal activity and the formation of continents by partial melting in subduction zones. The evidence for formation of the atmosphere by outgassing of the mantle is the presence of radionuclides H3.-4, Ar-040 and 136 Xe-136 in the atmosphere that were produced from K-40, U and Th in the mantle. How these radionuclides were formed is reviewed.

Archaeological Investigations in Upland Kaneohe: Survey and Salvage Excavations in the Upper Kamo’oali’i Stream Drainage Area Kaneohe, Ko’olaupoko, Oahu, Hawaii,

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

during this process would be almost all exotic. Although several tangled masses of hau shrub (Hibiscus tiZiaceous) are also in these areas, this native...Douglas Yen of the Museum visited the sites and provided iotas on the possible functions of some features. To all of the crew, I am indebted for their help...radiocarbon and basaltic-glass hydration-rind, to secure a precise absolute chronology for the mound; and 11. Determination of the relationship of the

Origin of depleted basalts during subduction initiation and early development of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana island arc: Evidence from IODP expedition 351 site U1438, Amami-Sankaku basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickey-Vargas, R.; Yogodzinski, G. M.; Ishizuka, O.; McCarthy, A.; Bizimis, M.; Kusano, Y.; Savov, I. P.; Arculus, R.

2018-05-01

The Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) island arc formed following initiation of subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Philippine Sea plate at about 52 Ma. Site U1438 of IODP Expedition 351 was drilled to sample the oceanic basement on which the IBM arc was constructed, to better understand magmatism prior to and during the subduction initiation event. Site U1438 igneous basement Unit 1 (150 m) was drilled beneath 1460 m of primarily volcaniclastic sediments and sedimentary rock. Basement basalts are microcrystalline to fine-grained flows and form several distinct subunits (1a-1f), all relatively mafic (MgO = 6.5-13.8%; Mg# = 52-83), with Cr = 71-506 ppm and Ni = 62-342 ppm. All subunits are depleted in non-fluid mobile incompatible trace elements. Ratios such as Sm/Nd (0.35-0.44), Lu/Hf (0.19-0.37), and Zr/Nb (55-106) reach the highest values found in MORB, while La/Yb (0.31-0.92), La/Sm (0.43-0.91) and Nb/La (0.39-0.59) reach the lowest values. Abundances of fluid-mobile incompatible elements, K, Rb, Cs and U, vary with rock physical properties, indicating control by post-eruptive seawater alteration, but lowest abundances are typical of fresh, highly depleted MORBs. Mantle sources for the different subunits define a trend of progressive incompatible element depletion. Inferred pressures of magma segregation are 0.6-2.1 GPa with temperatures of 1280-1470 °C. New 40Ar/39Ar dates for Site U1438 basalts averaging 48.7 Ma (Ishizuka et al., 2018) are younger that the inferred age of IBM subduction initiation based on the oldest ages (52 Ma) of IBM forearc basalts (FAB) from the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. FAB are hypothesized to be the first magma type erupted as the Pacific plate subsided, followed by boninites, and ultimately typical arc magmas over a period of about 10 Ma. Site U1438 basalts and IBM FABs are similar, but Site U1438 basalts have lower V contents, higher Ti/V and little geochemical evidence for involvement of slab-derived fluids. We hypothesize that the asthenospheric upwelling and extension expected during subduction initiation occurred over a broad expanse of the upper plate, even as hydrous fluids were introduced near the plate edge to produce FABs and boninites. Site U1438 basalts formed by decompression melting during the first 3 Ma of subduction initiation, and were stranded behind the early IBM arc as mantle conditions shifted to flux melting beneath a well-defined volcanic front.

Water resources of Lincoln and Union counties, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Niehus, C.A.

1994-01-01

Water resources of Lincoln and Union Counties occur as surface water in streams and lakes and ground water in ten major glacial and one major bedrock aquifers. The major surface-water sources are the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers. Glacial aquifers contain about 4 million acre-feet of water in storage; 1.5 million acre-feet are contained in the Missouri aquifer. The Wall Lake, Shindler, and Upper Vemillion-Missouri aquifers are deeply buried, confined aquifers with average thicknesses ranging from 31 to 41 feet. The Harrisburg and Big Sioux aquifers are shallow, water-table aquifers with average thicknesses of 26 and 28 feet, respectively. The Parker-Centerville, Newton Hills, and Brule Creek aquifers are buried, confined aquifers with average thicknesses ranging from 33 to 36 feet. The Lower Vermillion-Missouri aquifer is a buried, confined aquifer with an average thickness of 99 feet. The Missouri aquifer is confined in the northeastern portion of the aquifer and is a shallow, water-table aquifer elsewhere with average cumulative thickness of 84 feet.

Processes accompanying of mantle plume emplacement into continental lithosphere: Evidence from NW Arabian plate, Western Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, E. V.

2015-12-01

Lower crustal xenoliths occurred in the Middle Cretaceous lamprophyre diatremes in Jabel Ansaria (Western Syria) (Sharkov et al., 1992). They are represented mainly garnet granulites and eclogite-like rocks, which underwent by deformations and retrograde metamorphism, and younger fresh pegmatoid garnet-kaersutite-clinopyroxene (Al-Ti augite) rocks; mantle peridotites are absent in these populations. According to mineralogical geothermobarometers, forming of garnet-granulite suite rocks occurred under pressure 13.5-15.4 kbar (depths 45-54 kn) and temperature 965-1115oC. At the same time, among populations of mantle xenoliths in the Late Cenozoic platobasalts of the region, quite the contrary, lower crustal xenoliths are absent, however, predominated spinel lherzolites (fragments of upper cooled rim of a plume head), derived from the close depths (30-40 km: Sharkov, Bogatikov, 2015). From this follows that ancient continental crust was existed here even in the Middle Cretaceous, but in the Late Cenozoic was removed by extended mantle plume head; at that upper sialic crust was not involved in geomechanic processes, because Precambrian metamorphic rocks survived as a basement for Cambrian to Cenozoic sedimentary cover of Arabian platform. In other words, though cardinal rebuilding of deep-seated structure of the region occurred in the Late Cenozoic but it did not affect on the upper shell of the ancient lithosphere. Because composition of mantle xenolithis in basalts is practically similar worldwide, we suggest that deep-seated processes are analogous also. As emplacement of the mantle plume heads accompanied by powerful basaltic magmatism, very likely that range of lower (mafic) continental crust existence is very convenient for extension of plume heads and their adiabatic melting. If such level, because of whatever reasons, was not reached, melting was limited but appeared excess of volatile matters which led to forming of lamprophyre or even kimberlite.

Crustal accretion along the global mid-ocean ridge system based on basaltic glass and olivine-hosted melt inclusion compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanless, V. D.; Behn, M. D.

2015-12-01

The depth and distribution of crystallization at mid-ocean ridges controls the overall architecture of the oceanic crust, influences hydrothermal circulation, and determines geothermal gradients in the crust and uppermost mantle. Despite this, there is no overall consensus on how crystallization is distributed within the crust/upper mantle or how this varies with spreading rate. Here, we examine crustal accretion at mid-ocean ridges by combining crystallization pressures calculated from major element barometers on mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses with vapor-saturation pressures from melt inclusions to produce a detailed map of crystallization depths and distributions along the global ridge system. We calculate pressures of crystallization from >11,500 MORB glasses from the global ridge system using two established major element barometers (1,2). Additionally, we use vapor-saturation pressures from >400 olivine-hosted melt inclusions from five ridges with variable spreading rates to constrain pressures and distributions of crystallization along the global ridge system. We show that (i) crystallization depths from MORB glasses increase and become less focused with decreasing spreading rate, (ii) maximum glass pressures are greater than the maximum melt inclusion pressure, which indicates that the melt inclusions do not record the deepest crystallization at mid-ocean ridges, and (iii) crystallization occurs in the lower crust/upper mantle at all ridges, indicating accretion is distributed throughout the crust at all spreading rates, including those with a steady-state magma lens. Finally, we suggest that the remarkably similar maximum vapor-saturation pressures (~ 3000 bars) in melt inclusion from all spreading rates reflects the CO2 content of the depleted upper mantle feeding the global mid-ocean ridge system. (1) Michael, P. & W. Cornell (1998), Journal of Geophysical Research, 103(B8), 18325-18356; (2) Herzberg, C. (2004), Journal of Petrology, 45(12), 2389.

Biostratigraphic data for the Cretaceous marine sediments in the USGS-St. George no. 1 core (DOR-211), Dorchester County, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Self-Trail, Jean M.; Gohn, Gregory S.

1997-01-01

The USGS-St. George corehole was drilled for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) by a commercial drilling company during 1982. The corehole is located within the Coastal Plain Province in northern Dorchester County, South Carolina, about three miles southeast of the town of St. George near the village of Byrd (fig. 1). Coordinates for the corehole are 33o09'25'N latitude and 80o31'18'W longitude; ground elevation at the site is +78 feet (Reid and others, 1986). The St. George corehole is designated as USGS drill hole DOR-211. The St. George corehole was drilled to a total depth of 2,067 ft. The hole was cored continuously with generally good recovery from 300 ft to its total depth. Spot cores were taken at selected intervals between the top of the hole and a depth of 300 ft (50-55 ft, 100-110 ft, 150-165 ft, 200-205 ft, and 250-255 ft); however, recovery was poor in most of these intervals. The St. George core currently is stored at the USGS National Center, Reston, VA (March, 1997). The St. George corehole bottomed in basalt of probable early Mesozoic age beneath an Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedi-mentary section. Reid and others (1986) placed the top of basalt saprolite at 1,962 ft in the hole. Our examination of the geophysical logs and original core descriptions suggests that the top of the saprolite is higher in the hole, at about 1,939 ft. The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary was placed at or near 550 ft in the core by Reid and others (1986) and by Habib and Miller (1989). In this report, we provide paleontologic data for marine sediments in the upper part of the Upper Cretaceous section in the St. George core. Biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental data and interpretations based on the study of calcareous nannofossils and ostracodes from the Cretaceous section are discussed.

Compositionally Controlled Volatile Content of Nominally Volatile-Free Minerals in the Continental Upper Mantle of Southern Gondwana (Patagonia & W. Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooks, E. E.; Gibson, S. A.; Leat, P. T.; Petrone, C. M.

2015-12-01

H2O and F contents affect many physical and chemical properties of the upper mantle, including melting temperature and viscosity. These elements are hosted by hydrous and F-rich phases, and by modally abundant, nominally-anhydrous/halogen-free mantle minerals, which can potentially accommodate the entire volatile budget of the upper mantle. We present high-precision SIMS analyses of H2O, and F in mantle xenoliths hosted by recently-erupted (5-10 Ka) alkali basalts from south Patagonia (Pali Aike) and older (c. 25 Ma) alkali basalts from localities along the Antarctic Peninsula. Samples are well characterised peridotites and pyroxenites, from a range of depths in the off-craton lithospheric mantle. Minerals are relatively dry: H2O contents of olivine span 0-49 ppm, orthopyroxene 150-235 ppm and clinopyroxene 100-395 ppm, with highest concentrations found in spinel-garnet lherzolites from Pali Aike. These H2O concentrations fall within the global measured range for off-craton mantle minerals. H2O and F are correlated, and the relative compatibility of F in mantle phases is clinopyroxene>orthopyroxene>olivine. However, elevated F concentrations of 100-210 ppm are found in pyroxenites from two Antarctic localities. This elevated F content is not correlated with high H2O, suggesting that these rocks interacted with a F-rich melt. In clinopyroxenes, F concentration is correlated with Ti, and the ratio of M1Ti to M1Al + M1Cr, suggesting a charge balanced substitution. Consistency between samples (excepting high-F pyroxenites) suggests a constant F-budget, and that concentrations in clinopyroxenes are controlled by mineral chemistry. In orthopyroxene, F correlates with CaO, but no other major or minor elements. Large variability of H2O concentrations within samples is attributed to diffusive loss during ascent. Cl is negligible in all samples, indicating little or no influence of slab fluids from this long-lived subduction zone.

Mealtime Manual for the Aged and Handicapped.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klinger, Judith Lannefeld; And Others

Specific techniques to alleviate difficulties encountered in routine kitchen tasks are described for the elderly and the handicapped, particularly those persons with upper extremity weakness or amputees, arthritis, incoordination, wheelchair confinement, loss of sensation, and limited vision. Helpful information is provided in areas of kitchen…

The New Dislocated Worker. Trends and Issues Alerts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imel, Susan

In the past, worker displacement resulting from structural changes in the economy remained confined to industrial occupations such as manufacturing. The recent trends toward corporate restructuring, global competition, and military downsizing have created new groups of dislocated workers, including upper and middle management and military…

ELM elimination with Li powder injection in EAST discharges using the tungsten upper divertor

DOE PAGES

Maingi, R.; Hu, J. S.; Sun, Z.; ...

2018-01-05

Here, we report the first successful use of lithium (Li) to eliminate edge-localized modes (ELMs) with tungsten divertor plasma-facing components in the EAST device. Li powder injected into the scrape-off layer of the tungsten upper divertor successfully eliminated ELMs for 3–5 s in EAST. The ELM elimination became progressively more effective in consecutive discharges at constant lithium delivery rates, and the divertor D α baseline emission was reduced, both signatures of improved wall conditioning. A modest decrease in stored energy and normalized energy confinement was also observed, but the confinement relative to H98 remained well above 1, extending the previousmore » ELM elimination results via Li injection into the lower carbon divertor in EAST. These results can be compared with recent observations with lithium pellets in ASDEX-Upgrade that failed to mitigate ELMs, highlighting one comparative advantage of continuous powder injection for real-time ELM elimination.« less

ELM elimination with Li powder injection in EAST discharges using the tungsten upper divertor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maingi, R.; Hu, J. S.; Sun, Z.; Tritz, K.; Zuo, G. Z.; Xu, W.; Huang, M.; Meng, X. C.; Canik, J. M.; Diallo, A.; Lunsford, R.; Mansfield, D. K.; Osborne, T. H.; Gong, X. Z.; Wang, Y. F.; Li, Y. Y.; EAST Team

2018-02-01

We report the first successful use of lithium (Li) to eliminate edge-localized modes (ELMs) with tungsten divertor plasma-facing components in the EAST device. Li powder injected into the scrape-off layer of the tungsten upper divertor successfully eliminated ELMs for 3-5 s in EAST. The ELM elimination became progressively more effective in consecutive discharges at constant lithium delivery rates, and the divertor D α baseline emission was reduced, both signatures of improved wall conditioning. A modest decrease in stored energy and normalized energy confinement was also observed, but the confinement relative to H98 remained well above 1, extending the previous ELM elimination results via Li injection into the lower carbon divertor in EAST (Hu et al 2015 Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 055001). These results can be compared with recent observations with lithium pellets in ASDEX-Upgrade that failed to mitigate ELMs (Lang et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 016030), highlighting one comparative advantage of continuous powder injection for real-time ELM elimination.

ELM elimination with Li powder injection in EAST discharges using the tungsten upper divertor

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

Maingi, R.; Hu, J. S.; Sun, Z.

Here, we report the first successful use of lithium (Li) to eliminate edge-localized modes (ELMs) with tungsten divertor plasma-facing components in the EAST device. Li powder injected into the scrape-off layer of the tungsten upper divertor successfully eliminated ELMs for 3–5 s in EAST. The ELM elimination became progressively more effective in consecutive discharges at constant lithium delivery rates, and the divertor D α baseline emission was reduced, both signatures of improved wall conditioning. A modest decrease in stored energy and normalized energy confinement was also observed, but the confinement relative to H98 remained well above 1, extending the previousmore » ELM elimination results via Li injection into the lower carbon divertor in EAST. These results can be compared with recent observations with lithium pellets in ASDEX-Upgrade that failed to mitigate ELMs, highlighting one comparative advantage of continuous powder injection for real-time ELM elimination.« less

Water levels and artesian pressures in the Chad Basin of northeastern Nigeria, 1963-68

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carmalt, S.W.; Tibbitts, G.C.

1969-01-01

This report presents records of water levels and artesian pressures collected during 1963-68 on an observational network of 116 dug wells and boreholes (drilled wells) in the Chad Basin of northeastern Nigeria. The Chad Basin is underlain by the Chad Formation, a series of fluvio-lacustrine sediments which attain a thickness of 1,500 feet or more in Nigeria. Three water-bearing zones, designated Upper, Middle and Lower, have been identified in the Chad Formation of Nigeria. The Upper Zone aquifer, which contains water under both unconfined and confined conditions, provides the principal source of water to dug wells for domestic and village water supply. The Middle Zone aquifer is tapped by numerous deep boreholes (drilled wells) which provide water by artesian flow in more than 13,000 square miles of Nigeria north and east of Maiduguri. The Lower Zone, which is also confined has only been identified thus far (1969) in the vicinity of Maiduguri.

Observations and temperatures of Io's Pele Patera from Cassini and Galileo spacecraft images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Radebaugh, J.; McEwen, A.S.; Milazzo, M.P.; Keszthelyi, L.P.; Davies, A.G.; Turtle, E.P.; Dawson, D.D.

2004-01-01

Pele has been the most intense high-temperature hotspot on Io to be continuously active during the Galileo monitoring from 1996-2001. A suite of characteristics suggests that Pele is an active lava lake inside a volcanic depression. In 2000-2001, Pele was observed by two spacecraft, Cassini and Galileo. The Cassini observations revealed that Pele is variable in activity over timescales of minutes, typical of active lava lakes in Hawaii and Ethiopia. These observations also revealed that the short-wavelength thermal emission from Pele decreases with rotation of Io by a factor significantly greater than the cosine of the emission angle, and that the color temperature becomes more variable and hotter at high emission angles. This behavior suggests that a significant portion of the visible thermal emission from Pele comes from lava fountains within a topographically confined lava body. High spatial resolution, nightside images from a Galileo flyby in October 2001 revealed a large, relatively cool (< 800 K) region, ringed by bright hotspots, and a central region of high thermal emission, which is hypothesized to be due to fountaining and convection in the lava lake. Images taken through different filters revealed color temperatures of 1500 ?? 80 K from Cassini ISS data and 1605 ?? 220 and 1420 ?? 100 K from small portions of Galileo SSI data. Such temperatures are near the upper limit for basaltic compositions. Given the limitations of deriving lava eruption temperature in the absence of in situ measurement, it is possible that Pele has lavas with ultramafic compositions. The long-lived, vigorous activity of what is most likely an actively overturning lava lake in Pele Patera indicates that there is a strong connection to a large, stable magma source region. ?? 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deep resistivity structure of Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asch, Theodore H.; Rodriguez, Brian D.; Sampson, Jay A.; Wallin, Erin L.; Williams, Jackie M.

2006-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at their Nevada Site Office are addressing groundwater contamination resulting from historical underground nuclear testing through the Environmental Management program and, in particular, the Underground Test Area project. One issue of concern is the nature of the somewhat poorly constrained pre Tertiary geology and its effects on ground-water flow in the area adjacent to a nuclear test. Ground water modelers would like to know more about the hydrostratigraphy and geologic structure to support a hydrostratigraphic framework model that is under development for the Yucca Flat Corrective Action Unit (CAU). During 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey, supported by the DOE and NNSA-NSO, collected and processed data from 51 magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) stations at the Nevada Test Site in and near Yucca Flat to assist in characterizing the pre-Tertiary geology in that area. The primary purpose was to refine the character, thickness, and lateral extent of pre Tertiary confining units. In particular, a major goal has been to define the upper clastic confining unit (late Devonian - Mississippian-age siliciclastic rocks assigned to the Eleana Formation and Chainman Shale) in the Yucca Flat area. The MT and AMT data have been released in separate USGS Open File Reports. The Nevada Test Site magnetotelluric data interpretation presented in this report includes the results of detailed two-dimensional (2 D) resistivity modeling for each profile (including alternative interpretations) and gross inferences on the three dimensional (3 D) character of the geology beneath each station. The character, thickness, and lateral extent of the Chainman Shale and Eleana Formation that comprise the Upper Clastic Confining Unit are generally well determined in the upper 5 km. Inferences can be made regarding the presence of the Lower Clastic Confining Unit at depths below 5 km. Large fault structures such as the CP Thrust fault, the Carpetbag fault, and the Yucca fault that cross Yucca Flat are also discernable as are other smaller faults. The subsurface electrical resistivity distribution and inferred geologic structures determined by this investigation should help constrain the hydrostratigraphic framework model that is under development.

Rheological properties of the lower crust and upper mantle beneath Baja California: a microstructural study of xenoliths from San Quintin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van der Werf, Thomas F.; Chatzaras, Vasileios; Tikoff, Basil; Drury, Martyn R.

2016-04-01

Baja California is an active transtensional rift zone, which links the San Andreas Fault with the East Pacific Rise. The erupted basalts of the Holocene San Quintin volcanic field contain xenoliths, which sample the lower crust and upper mantle beneath Baja California. The aim of this research is to gain insight in the rheology of the lower crust and the upper mantle by investigating the xenolith microstructure. Microstructural observations have been used to determine the dominant deformation mechanisms. Differential stresses were estimated from recrystallized grain size piezometry of plagioclase and clinopyroxene for the lower crust and olivine for the upper mantle. The degree of deformation can be inferred from macroscopic foliations and the deformation microstructures. Preliminary results show that both the lower crust and the upper mantle have been affected by multiple stages of deformation and recrystallization. In addition the dominant deformation mechanism in both the lower crust and the upper mantle is dislocation creep based on the existence of strong crystallographic preferred orientations. The differential stress estimates for the lower crust are 10-29 MPa using plagioclase piezometry and 12-35 MPa using clinopyroxene piezometry. For the upper mantle, differential stress estimates are 10-20 MPa. These results indicate that the strength of the lower crust and the upper mantle are very similar. Our data do not fit with the general models of lithospheric strength and may have important implications for the rheological structure of the lithosphere in transtensional plate margins and for geodynamic models of the region.

Northwest Africa 773: Lunar Mare Breccia with a Shallow-formed Olivine-Cumulate Component, Very-Low-Ti Heritage, and a KREEP Connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jolliff, B. L.; Korotev, R. L.; Zeigler, R. A.; Floss, C.; Haskin, L. A.

2003-01-01

Northwest Africa 773 is one of the more unusual lunar meteorites found in recent years because it contains a prominent clast lithology, which appears to be an olivine-rich cumulate and because it is a very-low-Ti (VLT) mare breccia with relatively high incompatible-trace-element concentrations and LREE/HREE enrichment. A lunar origin was verified by Fagan and coworkers on the basis of noble-gas contents, oxygen isotopes, and mineral compositions. Fagan et al. described two lithologies: (1) heterolithic impact breccia with a regolith component and (2) cumulus olivine gabbronorite. Here, we refer to these as the breccia (Bx) lithology and the olivine-cumulate (OC) lithology. The impact breccia components are predominantly volcanic (basaltic), and, in this context, the occurrence of the cumulus lithology is especially significant: is it related to the volcanic components or does it represent a deep-seated rock entrained by the basaltic magma as it rose to the surface? Elevated incompatible-element concentrations with more or less KREEP-like inter-element ratios and very-low-Ti concentrations distinguish both lithologies of this meteorite from Apollo mare basalts. Here, we summarize key compositional information (bulk and mineral), especially related to the OC lithology, to show that it formed at shallow depth and comes from a VLT ultramafic precursor that mixed with a KREEP-like trace-element component deep in the crust or upper mantle.

Timing and composition of continental volcanism at Harrat Hutaymah, western Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duncan, Robert A.; Kent, Adam J R; Thornber, Carl; Schliedler, Tyler D; Al-Amri, Abdullah M

2016-01-01

Harrat Hutaymah is an alkali basalt volcanic field in north-central Saudi Arabia, at the eastern margin of a large Neogene continental, intraplate magmatic province. Lava flow, tephra and spatter cone compositions in the field include alkali olivine basalts and basanites. These compositions contrast with the predominantly tholeiitic, fissure-fed basalts found along the eastern margin of the Red Sea. The Hutaymah lava flows were erupted through Proterozoic arc-associated plutonic and meta-sedimentary rocks of the Arabian shield, and commonly contain a range of sub-continental lithospheric xenoliths, although the lavas themselves show little indication of crustal contamination. Previous radiometric dating of this volcanic field (a single published K–Ar age; 1.8 Ma) is suspiciously old given the field measurement of normal magnetic polarity only (i.e. Brunhes interval, ≤ 780 Ka). We report new age determinations on 14 lava flows by the 40Ar–39Ar laser step heating method, all younger than ~ 850 Ka, to better constrain the time frame of volcanism, and major, trace and rare earth element compositions to describe the chemical variation of volcanic activity at Harrat Hutaymah. Crystal fractionation was dominated by olivine ± clinopyroxene at a range of upper mantle and crustal pressures. Rapid ascent and eruption of magma is indicated by the array of lower crustal and lithospheric xenoliths observed in lava flows and tephra. Modeling suggests 1–7% melting of an enriched asthenospheric mantle source occurred beneath Harrat Hutaymah under a relatively thick lithospheric cap (60–80 km).

Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California, during accretion near 10°N paleolatitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagstrum, Jonathan T.

1992-06-01

Paleomagnetic data are presented for a 50-m-thick sequence of Oxfordian to Tithonian sedimentary rocks conformably overlying Upper Jurassic pillow basalt within the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California. These new data are similar in direction and polarity to previously published paleomagnetic data for the pillow basalt. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks were deposited during a mixed-polarity interval of the geomagnetic field, and uniformity of the remanent magnetization within the entire section of pillow basalt and sedimentary rocks indicates later remagnetization. Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite is interpreted to have occurred during accretion to the continental margin, possibly by burial and low-temperature alteration related to this event. Similar paleolatitudes calculated for the ophiolite (11° ±3°) and for mid-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Stanley Mountain terrane at Figueroa Mountain (6° ±5°) are consistent with remagnetization of the ophiolite at low paleo-latitudes. Uniform-polarity directions for other remnants of ophiolite in southern California and elsewhere along the Pacific coast imply that these rocks were also overprinted, and their magnetic inclinations suggest remagnetization at low paleolatitudes as well. The Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain is thus inferred to have been remagnetized along the North American margin near 10°N paleolatitude between earliest and mid-Cretaceous time and subsequently transported northward by strike-slip faulting related to relative motions between the Farallon, Kula, Pacific, and North American plates.

Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California, during accretion near 10°N paleolatitude

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, Jonathan T.

1992-01-01

Paleomagnetic data are presented for a 50-m-thick sequence of Oxfordian to Tithonian sedimentary rocks conformably overlying Upper Jurassic pillow basalt within the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California. These new data are similar in direction and polarity to previously published paleomagnetic data for the pillow basalt. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks were deposited during a mixed-polarity interval of the geomagnetic field, and uniformity of the remanent magnetization within the entire section of pillow basalt and sedimentary rocks indicates later remagnetization. Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite is interpreted to have occurred during accretion to the continental margin, possibly by burial and low-temperature alteration related to this event. Similar paleolatitudes calculated for the ophiolite (11° ±3°) and for mid-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Stanley Mountain terrane at Figueroa Mountain (6° ±5°) are consistent with remagnetization of the ophiolite at low paleo-latitudes. Uniform-polarity directions for other remnants of ophiolite in southern California and elsewhere along the Pacific coast imply that these rocks were also overprinted, and their magnetic inclinations suggest remagnetization at low paleolatitudes as well. The Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain is thus inferred to have been remagnetized along the North American margin near 10°N paleolatitude between earliest and mid-Cretaceous time and subsequently transported northward by strike-slip faulting related to relative motions between the Farallon, Kula, Pacific, and North American plates.

Timing and composition of continental volcanism at Harrat Hutaymah, western Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, Robert A.; Kent, Adam J. R.; Thornber, Carl R.; Schlieder, Tyler D.; Al-Amri, Abdullah M.

2016-03-01

Harrat Hutaymah is an alkali basalt volcanic field in north-central Saudi Arabia, at the eastern margin of a large Neogene continental, intraplate magmatic province. Lava flow, tephra and spatter cone compositions in the field include alkali olivine basalts and basanites. These compositions contrast with the predominantly tholeiitic, fissure-fed basalts found along the eastern margin of the Red Sea. The Hutaymah lava flows were erupted through Proterozoic arc-associated plutonic and meta-sedimentary rocks of the Arabian shield, and commonly contain a range of sub-continental lithospheric xenoliths, although the lavas themselves show little indication of crustal contamination. Previous radiometric dating of this volcanic field (a single published K-Ar age; 1.8 Ma) is suspiciously old given the field measurement of normal magnetic polarity only (i.e. Brunhes interval, ≤ 780 Ka). We report new age determinations on 14 lava flows by the 40Ar-39Ar laser step heating method, all younger than ~ 850 Ka, to better constrain the time frame of volcanism, and major, trace and rare earth element compositions to describe the chemical variation of volcanic activity at Harrat Hutaymah. Crystal fractionation was dominated by olivine ± clinopyroxene at a range of upper mantle and crustal pressures. Rapid ascent and eruption of magma is indicated by the array of lower crustal and lithospheric xenoliths observed in lava flows and tephra. Modeling suggests 1-7% melting of an enriched asthenospheric mantle source occurred beneath Harrat Hutaymah under a relatively thick lithospheric cap (60-80 km).

Method for isolating two aquifers in a single borehole

DOEpatents

Burklund, P.W.

1984-01-20

A method for isolating and individually instrumenting separate aquifers within a single borehole is disclosed. A borehole is first drilled from the ground surface, through an upper aquifer, and into a separating confining bed. A casing, having upper and lower sections separated by a coupling collar, is lowered into the borehole. The borehole is grouted in the vicinity of the lower section of the casing. A borehole is then drilled through the grout plug and into a lower aquifer. After the lower aquifer is instrumented, the borehole is grouted back into the lower portion of the casing. Then the upper section of the casing is unscrewed via the coupling collar and removed from the borehole. Finally, instrumentation is added to the upper aquifer and the borehole is appropriately grouted. The coupling collar is designed to have upper right-hand screw threads and lower left-hand screw thread, whereby the sections of the casing can be readily separated.

Method for isolating two aquifers in a single borehole

DOEpatents

Burklund, Patrick W.

1985-10-22

A method for isolating and individually instrumenting separate aquifers within a single borehole. A borehole is first drilled from the ground surface, through an upper aquifer, and into a separating confining bed. A casing, having upper and lower sections separated by a coupling collar, is lowered into the borehole. The borehole is grouted in the vicinity of the lower section of the casing. A borehole is then drilled through the grout plug and into a lower aquifer. After the lower aquifer is instrumented, the borehole is grouted back into the lower portion of the casing. Then the upper section of the casing is unscrewed via the coupling collar and removed from the borehole. Finally, instrumentation is added to the upper aquifer and the borehole is appropriately grouted. The coupling collar is designed to have upper right-hand screw threads and lower left-hand screw thread, whereby the sections of the casing can be readily separated.

Geohydrology and evaluation of water-resource potential of the upper Floridan Aquifer in the Albany area, southwestern Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Torak, L.J.; Davis, G.S.; Strain, G.A.; Herndon, J.G.

1993-01-01

In the Albany area of southwestern Georgia, the Upper Floridan aquifer lies entirely within the Dougherty Plain district of the Coastal Plain physiographic province, and consists of the Ocala Limestone of late Eocene age. The aquifer is divided throughout most of the study area into an upper and a lower lithologic unit, which creates an upper and a lower water-bearing zone. The lower waterbearing zone consists of alternating layers of sandy limestone and medium-brown, recrystallized dolomitic limestone, and ranges in thickness from about 50 ft to 100 ft. It is highly fractured and exhibits well-developed permeability by solution features that are responsible for transmitting most of the ground water in the aquifer. Transmissivity of the lower water-bearing zone ranges from about 90,000 to 178,000 ft2/d. The upper water-bearing zone is a finely crystallized-to-oolitic, locally dolomitic limestone having an average thickness of about 60 ft. Transmissivities are considerably less in the upper water-bearing zone than in the lower water-bearing zone. The Upper Floridan aquifer is overlain by about 20-120 ft of undifferentiated overburden consisting of fine-to-coarse quartz sand and noncalcareous clay. A clay zone about 10-30 ft thick may be continuous throughout the southwestern part of the Albany area and, where present, causes confinement of the Upper Floridan aquifer and creates perched ground water after periods of heavy rainfall. The Upper Floridan aquifer is confined below by the Lisbon Formation, a mostly dolomitic limestone that contains trace amounts of glauconite. The Lisbon Formation is at least 50 ft thick in the study area and acts as an impermeable base to the Upper Floridan aquifer. The quality of ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer is suitable for most uses; wells generally yield water of the hard, calcium-bicarbonate type that meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Primary or Secondary Drinking-Water Regulations. The water-resource potential of the Upper Floridan aquifer was evaluated by compiling results of drilling and aquifer testing in the study area, and by conducting computer simulations of the ground-water flow system under the seasonally low conditions of November 1985, and under conditions of pumping within a 12-mi 2 area located southwest of Albany. Results of test drilling, aquifer testing, and water-quality analyses indicate that, in the area southwest of Albany, geohydrologic conditions in the Upper Floridan aquifer, undifferentiated overburden, and Lisbon Formation were favorable for the aquifer to provide a large quantity of water without having adverse effects on the groundwater system. The confinement of the Upper Floridan aquifer by the undifferentiated overburden and the rural setting of the area of potential development decrease the likelihood that chemical constituents will enter the aquifer during development of the ground-water resources. Computer simulations of ground-water flow in the Upper Floridan aquifer, incorporating conditions for regional flow across model boundaries, leakage from rivers and other surface-water features, and vertical leakage from the undifferentiated overburden, were conducted by using a finite-element model for ground-water flow in two dimensions. Comparison of computed and measured water levels in the Upper Floridan aquifer for November 1985 at 74 locations indicated that computed water levels generally were within 5 ft of the measured values, which is the accuracy to which measured water levels were known. Water-level altitudes ranged from about 260 ft to 130 ft above sea level in the study area during calibration. Aquifer discharge to the Flint River downstream from the Lake Worth dam was computed by the calibrated model to be about 1 billion gallons per day; about 300 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) greater than was measured for similar lowflow conditions. The excess computed discharge was attributed partially to stream withdrawals for

Observed stratospheric downward reflection, and its relation to upward pulses of wave activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harnik, N.

2009-04-01

We examine the differences between observed stratospheric vertical wave reflection and wave absorption events, which differ in that the wave induced deceleration remains confined to upper levels in the former. The two types of events signify two types of stratospheric winter dynamics, associated with different downward coupling to the troposphere (Perlwitz and Harnik, 2004). Using time lag composites, we find that the main factor influencing which event will occur is the duration, in time, of the upward pulse of wave activity entering the stratosphere from the troposphere. Short pulses accelerate the flow at their trailing edge in the lower stratosphere while they decelerate it at upper levels, resulting in a vertical shear reversal, and corresponding downward reflection, while long pulses continue decelerating the vortex at progressively lower levels. The confinement of deceleration to upper levels for short wave forcing pulses is also found in an idealized model of an interaction between a planetary wave and the stratospheric vortex, though some aspects of the wave geometry evolution, and thus vertical reflection, are not captured realistically in the model. The results suggest the stratospheric influence on the type of wave interaction, in reality, is indirect - through a possible effect on the duration of upward wave fluxes through the tropopause.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2007-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2006. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 46.06 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2005 through September 2006) was 6.91 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.97 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2006). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during September 18-22, 2006. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Orlando, Florida (Kinnaman, 2007). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal high water-level condition.

Potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer, west-central Florida, September 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2006-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public-supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish-water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000).This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2005. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface, connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 55.19 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2004 through September 2005) was 2.00 inches above the historical cumulative average of 53.19 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2005). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period September 19-23, 2005. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Altamonte Springs, Florida (Kinnaman, 2006). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a "snapshot" of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal high water-level condition.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2008-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2007. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 39.50 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2006 through September 2007) was 13.42 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.92 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2007). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period September 17-21, 2007. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Orlando, Florida (Kinnaman and Dixon, 2008). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal high water-level condition.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, Anita G.

2009-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2008. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 50.63 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2007 through September 2008) was 2.26 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.89 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2008). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period September 15-19, 2008. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Orlando, Florida (Kinnaman and Dixon, 2009). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal high water-level condition.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, May 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2008-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2008. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 46.95 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2007 through May 2008) was 5.83 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.78 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2008). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period May 19-23, 2008. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Orlando, Florida (Kinnaman and Dixon, 2008). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal low water-level condition.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, May 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, A.G.

2008-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2007. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 41.21 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2006 through May 2007) was 11.63 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.84 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2007). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the approximate annual low and high water-level conditions, respectively. Most of the water-level data for this map were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the period May 21-25, 2007. Supplemental water-level data were collected by other agencies and companies. A corresponding potentiometric-surface map was prepared for areas east and north of the Southwest Florida Water Management District boundary by the U.S. Geological Survey office in Orlando, Florida (Kinnaman and Dixon, 2007). Most water-level measurements were made during a 5-day period; therefore, measurements do not represent a 'snapshot' of conditions at a specific time, nor do they necessarily coincide with the seasonal low water-level condition.

Project Hotspot: Linear accumulation rates of late Cenozoic basalt at Kimama, Idaho, and implications for crustal strain and subsidence rates of the central Snake River Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, D. W.; Potter, K. E.; Shervais, J. W.; Champion, D. E.; Duncan, R. A.

2013-12-01

Project Hotspot's Kimama drill hole on the Snake River Plain, Idaho recovered a 1912 m thick section of basalt core that ranges in age from ~700 ka to at least 6.14 Ma, based on five 40Ar/39Ar analyses and twenty paleomagnetic age assignments. Fifty-four flow groups comprising 510 individual flows were defined, yielding an average recurrence interval of ~11,400 years between flows. Age-depth analysis indicate that, over thicknesses >150 m and age spans >500 k.y., accumulation rates were constant at 30 m/100 k.y. The existence and persistence of this linear accumulation rate for greater than 5 m.y. documents an external tectonic control on eruption dynamics. One conceptual model relates accumulation rates to horizontal crustal strain, such that far-field extension rate controls the periodicity of dikes that feed basalt flows. In this model, each of the 54 flow groups would have a deep-seated, relatively wide (1-10m) dike that branches upward into a network of narrow (10-100 cm) dikes feeding individual lava flows. Assuming an east-west lateral lava flow extent of up to 50 km, the Kimama data record a steady-state crustal strain rate of 10-9 to 10-10 y-1. This rate is comparable to modern, decadal strain rates measured with GPS in the adjacent Basin & Range province, but exceeds decadal strain rates of zero measured in the eastern Snake River Plain. Linear accumulation rates also provide insight into basalt subsidence history. In this model, the middle-upper crust subsides due to the added weight of lava flows, the added weight of mid-crustal sills/dikes, and thermal contraction in the wake of the Yellowstone hot spot. Isostatic compensation would occur in the (nearly) molten lower crust. Assuming constant surface elevation and a basalt density of 2.6 g/cm3, the lava flow weight would account for 87% of the burial through time, yielding a steady-state "tectonic" subsidence rate of 4 m/100 k.y. attributed to the driving forces of mid-crustal injection and/or thermal contraction. An even faster tectonic rate is likely, given the evidence for decreasing surface elevation through time. We propose that tectonic subsidence was a necessary condition for maintaining basalt eruption over such a long duration -- it would inhibit the growth of a topographic plateau and maintain an appropriate level of neutral buoyancy for the periodically ascending mantle-derived magma

Comparison of TIMS and MC-ICP-MS Analyses of Pb Isotopic Compositions on Prehistoric Mauna Loa Basalts: Implications for Plume Source Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Jong, J.; Weis, D.; Maerschalk, C.; Rhodes, J. M.

2001-12-01

Recent isotopic studies on Hawaiian lavas have shown the necessity of constraining fractionation for Pb isotopes. This isotopic system presents systematic variations reflecting the presence of different plume components in the source of Hawaiian basalts. We have analyzed a series of 23 tholeiitic Mauna Loa basalts ranging in age from 36,780 to 140 y for their Pb isotopic compositions by TIMS (Micromass Sector 54) and MC-ICP-MS (Nu Plasma) to directly compare results from the same, carefully leached, samples. These analyses indicate an internal precision better than 120 ppm for the MC-ICP-MS Pb ratios, while for the TIMS ratios, it is in the per mil range. This results in a more coherent dataset for the MC-ICP-MS analyses, with the range of 207Pb/204Pb variations decreasing by a factor of 3 and of 208Pb/204Pb ratios by a factor of 1.5. The co-variations between the Pb isotopic data and other geochemical parameters for the Hawaiian lavas are now much stronger and better defined. There are clearly two groups amongst the prehistoric Mauna Loa basalts: one group with higher 87Sr/86Sr (>0.7038) and low 206Pb/204Pb (<18.15) that covers the entire range of Nb/Y (0.31 to 0.51) observed in this volcano, and the other group with low 87Sr/86Sr (<0.7038) and higher 206Pb/204Pb with Nb/Y<0.4. The second group is only present in basalts younger than 3,000 y or older than 24,000 y. The high 87Sr/86Sr group was not sampled in the HSDP I drill core, which covers an age range of 100,000 y. This either reflects a sampling bias, as the upper flow units (<10,000 y) were not sampled for geochemistry, or variations in magma supply. Altogether, Mauna Loa lava flows that are younger than 20,000 y show much more isotopic variation than older flows and there is a nearly continuous transition away from the Kilauea component. This may indicate that the transition between the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea trends is not as sharp as previously documented. This study shows the importance of reducing the error associated with mass fractionation by measuring Pb isotopes by MC-ICP-MS to constrain plume components in the mantle source of oceanic basalts.

A resolved mantle anomaly as the cause of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritzwoller, M. H.; Shapiro, N. M.; Leahy, G. M.

2003-12-01

We present evidence for the existence of an Australian-Antarctic Mantle Anomaly (AAMA), which trends northwest-southeast (NW-SE) through the Australian-Antarctic Discordance (AAD) on the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR), is confined to the upper 120 km of the mantle beneath the AAD, and dips shallowly to the west so that it extends to a depth of about 150 km west of the AAD. Average temperatures within the AAMA are depressed about 100°C relative to surrounding lithosphere and suggest very rapid cooling of newly formed lithosphere at the AAD to an effective thermal age between 20 and 30 Ma. A convective down welling beneath the AAD is not consistent with the confinement of the AAMA in the uppermost mantle. In substantial agreement with the model of [1998], we argue that the AAMA is the suspended remnant of a slab that subducted at the Gondwanaland-Pacific convergent margin more than 100 Myr ago, foundered in the deeper mantle, and then ascended into the shallow mantle within the past 30 Myr, cutting any ties to deeper roots. The stability of the AAMA and its poor correlation with residual topography and gravity imply that it is approximately neutrally buoyant. The thermally induced density anomaly can be balanced by bulk iron depletion of less than 0.8%, consistent with the warmer conditions of formation for the Pacific than Indian lithosphere. We hypothesize that the low temperatures in the AAMA inhibit crustal formation and the AAD depth anomaly is formed at the intersection of the SEIR and the AAMA. The northward migration of the SEIR overriding the cold NW-SE trending AAMA therefore presents a simple kinematic explanation for both the V-shaped residual depth anomaly in the southeast Indian Ocean and the western migration of the AAD along the SEIR. Neither explanation requires the Pacific asthenospheric mantle to push westward and displace Indian asthenosphere. The AAMA may also act as a barrier to large-scale flows in the shallow asthenosphere and may therefore define a boundary for mantle convection and between the Indian and Pacific isotopic provinces. The westward dip of the AAMA would also favor along-axis flow from the Indian Ocean asthenosphere to the AAD that may contribute to the penetration of Indian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalts into the AAD.

41 CFR 102-80.145 - What is meant by “flashover”?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...”? Flashover means fire conditions in a confined area where the upper gas layer temperature reaches 600 °C (1100 °F) and the heat flux at floor level exceeds 20 kW/m2 (1.8 Btu/ft2/sec). Reasonable Worst Case...

41 CFR 102-80.145 - What is meant by “flashover”?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...”? Flashover means fire conditions in a confined area where the upper gas layer temperature reaches 600 °C (1100 °F) and the heat flux at floor level exceeds 20 kW/m2 (1.8 Btu/ft2/sec). Reasonable Worst Case...

Concurrent Preoperative Presence of Hydronephrosis and Flank Pain Independently Predicts Worse Outcome of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

PubMed

Yeh, Hsin-Chih; Jan, Hau-Chern; Wu, Wen-Jeng; Li, Ching-Chia; Li, Wei-Ming; Ke, Hung-Lung; Huang, Shu-Pin; Liu, Chia-Chu; Lee, Yung-Chin; Yang, Sheau-Fang; Liang, Peir-In; Huang, Chun-Nung

2015-01-01

To investigate the impact of preoperative hydronephrosis and flank pain on prognosis of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. In total, 472 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma managed by radical nephroureterectomy were included from Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Healthcare System. Clinicopathological data were collected retrospectively for analysis. The significance of hydronephrosis, especially when combined with flank pain, and other relevant factors on overall and cancer-specific survival were evaluated. Of the 472 patients, 292 (62%) had preoperative hydronephrosis and 121 (26%) presented with flank pain. Preoperative hydronephrosis was significantly associated with age, hematuria, flank pain, tumor location, and pathological tumor stage. Concurrent presence of hydronephrosis and flank pain was a significant predictor of non-organ-confined disease (multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio = 2.10, P = 0.025). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly poorer overall and cancer-specific survival in patients with preoperative hydronephrosis (P = 0.005 and P = 0.026, respectively) and in patients with flank pain (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) than those without. However, only simultaneous hydronephrosis and flank pain independently predicted adverse outcome (hazard ratio = 1.98, P = 0.016 for overall survival and hazard ratio = 1.87, P = 0.036 for and cancer-specific survival, respectively) in multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. In addition, concurrent presence of hydronephrosis and flank pain was also significantly predictive of worse survival in patient with high grade or muscle-invasive disease. Notably, there was no difference in survival between patients with hydronephrosis but devoid of flank pain and those without hydronephrosis. Concurrent preoperative presence of hydronephrosis and flank pain predicted non-organ-confined status of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. When accompanied with flank pain, hydronephrosis represented an independent predictor for worse outcome in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

A 1.3-μm four-channel directly modulated laser array fabricated by SAG-Upper-SCH technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fei; Lu, Dan; Zhang, Ruikang; Liu, Songtao; Sun, Mengdie; Kan, Qiang; Ji, Chen

2017-01-01

A monolithically integrated four-channel directly modulated laser (DML) array working at the 1.3-μm band is demonstrated. The laser was manufactured by using the techniques of selective area growth (SAG) of the upper separate confinement heterostructure (Upper-SCH) and modified butt-joint method. The fabricated device showed stable single mode operation with the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) >35 dB, and high wavelength accuracy with the deviations from the linear fitted values <±0.03 nm for all channels. Furthermore, small signal modulation bandwidth >7 GHz was obtained, which may be suitable for 40 GbE applications in the 1.3-μm band.

Assessing the Role of Seafloor Weathering in Global Geochemical Cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahat, N. X.; Abbot, D. S.; Archer, D. E.

2015-12-01

Low-temperature alteration of the basaltic upper oceanic crust, known as seafloor weathering, has been proposed as a mechanism for long-term climate regulation similar to the continental climate-weathering negative feedback. Despite this potentially far-reaching impact of seafloor weathering on habitable planet evolution, existing modeling frameworks do not include the full scope of alteration reactions or recent findings of convective flow dynamics. We present a coupled fluid dynamic and geochemical numerical model of low-temperature, off-axis hydrothermal activity. This model is designed to explore the the seafloor weathering flux of carbon to the oceanic crust and its responsiveness to climate fluctuations. The model's ability to reproduce the seafloor weathering environment is evaluated by constructing numerical simulations for comparison with two low-temperature hydrothermal systems: A transect east of the Juan de Fuca Ridge and the southern Costa Rica Rift flank. We explore the sensitivity of carbon uptake by seafloor weathering on climate and geology by varying deep ocean temperature, seawater dissolved inorganic carbon, continental weathering inputs, and basaltic host rock in a suite of numerical experiments.

Geomorphic Terrains and Evidence for Ancient Volcanism within Northeastern South Pole-Aitken Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petro, Noah; Mest, Scott C.; Teich, Yaron

2010-01-01

The interior of the enigmatic South Pole-Aitken Basin has long been recognized as being compositionally distinct from its exterior. However, the source of the compositional anomaly has been subject to some debate. Is the source of the iron-enhancement due to lower-crustal/upper-mantle material being exposed at the surface, or was there some volume of ancient volcanism that covered portions of the basin interior? While several obvious mare basalt units are found within the basin and regions that appear to represent the original basin interior, there are several regions that appear to have an uncertain origin. Using a combination of Clementine and Lunar Orbiter images, several morphologic units are defined based on albedo, crater density, and surface roughness. An extensive unit of ancient mare basalt (cryptomare) is defined and, based on the number of superimposed craters, potentially represents the oldest volcanic materials within the basin. Thus, the overall iron-rich interior of the basin is not solely due to deeply derived crustal material, but is, in part due to the presence of ancient volcanic units.

Seismic imaging beneath an InSAR anomaly in eastern Washington State: Shallow faulting associated with an earthquake swarm in a low-hazard area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, William J.; Odum, Jackson K.; Wicks, Chuck; Pratt, Thomas L.; Blakely, Richard J.

2016-01-01

In 2001, a rare swarm of small, shallow earthquakes beneath the city of Spokane, Washington, caused ground shaking as well as audible booms over a five‐month period. Subsequent Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data analysis revealed an area of surface uplift in the vicinity of the earthquake swarm. To investigate the potential faults that may have caused both the earthquakes and the topographic uplift, we collected ∼3  km of high‐resolution seismic‐reflection profiles to image the upper‐source region of the swarm. The two profiles reveal a complex deformational pattern within Quaternary alluvial, fluvial, and flood deposits, underlain by Tertiary basalts and basin sediments. At least 100 m of arching on a basalt surface in the upper 500 m is interpreted from both the seismic profiles and magnetic modeling. Two west‐dipping faults deform Quaternary sediments and project to the surface near the location of the Spokane fault defined from modeling of the InSAR data.

Geologic and geophysical investigations of the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, New Mexico

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

Ander, M.E.; Heiken, G.; Eichelberger, J.

1981-05-01

A positive, northeast-trending gravity anomaly, 90 km long and 30 km wide, extends southwest from the Zuni uplift, New Mexico. The Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, an alignment of 74 basaltic vents, is parallel to the eastern edge of the anomaly. Lavas display a bimodal distribution of tholeiitic and alkalic compositions, and were erupted over a period from 4 Myr to present. A residual gravity profile taken perpendicular to the major axis of the anomaly was analyzed using linear programming and ideal body theory to obtain bounds on the density contrast, depth, and minimum thickness of the gravity body. Two-dimensionality was assumed.more » The limiting case where the anomalous body reaches the surface gives 0.1 g/cm/sup 3/ as the greatest lower bound on the maximum density contrast. If 0.4 g/cm/sup 3/ is taken as the geologically reasonable upper limit on the maximum density contrast, the least upper bound on the depth of burial is 3.5 km and minimum thickness is 2 km. A shallow mafic intrusion, emplaced sometime before Laramide deformation, is proposed to account for the positive gravity anomaly. Analysis of a magnetotelluric survey suggests that the intrusion is not due to recent basaltic magma associated with the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field. This large basement structure has controlled the development of the volcanic field; vent orientations have changed somewhat through time, but the trend of the volcanic chain followed the edge of the basement structure. It has also exhibited some control on deformation of the sedimentary section.« less

Toothpaste lava from the Barren Island volcano (Andaman Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheth, Hetu C.; Ray, Jyotiranjan S.; Kumar, Alok; Bhutani, Rajneesh; Awasthi, Neeraj

2011-04-01

Toothpaste lava is a basaltic lava flow type transitional between pahoehoe and aa and has been described from Paricutin, Kilauea and Etna volcanoes. Here we describe a spectacular example of toothpaste lava, forming part of a recent (possibly 1994-95) aa flow on the active volcano of Barren Island (Andaman Sea). This flow of subalkalic basalt shows abundant squeeze-ups of viscous toothpasate lava near its entry into the sea. The squeeze-ups are sheets and slabs, up to several meters across and tens of centimeters thick, extruded from boccas. They are often prominently curved, have striated upper surfaces with close-spaced, en echelon linear ridges and grooves, broad wave-like undulations perpendicular to the striations, and sometimes, clefts. Textural, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotopic data on the squeeze-ups and the exposed aa flow core indicate very crystal-rich, viscous, and isotopically very homogeneous lava. We envisage that a greatly reduced speed of this viscous flow at the coastline, possibly aided by a shallowing of the basal slope, led to lateral spreading of the flow, which caused tension in its upper parts. This, with continued (albeit dwindling) lava supply at the back, led to widespread tearing of the flow surface and extrusion of the squeeze-ups. The larger slabs, while extruding in a plastic condition, curved under their own weight, whereas their surfaces experienced brittle deformation, forming the en echelon grooves. The extruded, detached, and rotated sheets and slabs were carried forward for some distance atop the very slowly advancing aa core, before the flow solidified.

Mesozoic high-Mg andesites from the Daohugou area, Inner Mongolia: Upper-crustal fractional crystallization of parental melt derived from metasomatized lithospheric mantle wedge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Fanxue; Gao, Shan; Song, Zhaojun; Niu, Yaoling; Li, Xuping

2018-03-01

Mineral chemistry, major- and trace-element data, zircon U-Pb ages, and Sr-Nd isotopic data are presented for a suite of volcanic rocks from the Daohugou area, Ningcheng City, Inner Mongolia, on the northern margin of the North China Craton. Samples from the suite are of basaltic andesite to rhyolite in composition, with the rocks containing <60 wt% SiO2 have high MgO, Cr, and Ni contents, and classify as high-Mg andesites (HMAs). Zircons from a rhyolite yielded weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 164 ± 1 Ma, indicating that the Daohugou volcanic suite is coeval with the Tiaojishan Formation of northern Hebei and western Liaoning Province. The HMAs have similar enriched-mantle I (EMI)-type isotopic compositions to each other, with low εNd (t) values, moderate (87Sr/86Sr) i ratios, enrichment in LREEs relative to LILEs, and depletion in HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti), indicating formation through protracted fractional crystallization of a common parental magma. The unusually low CaO contents and CaO/FeO ratios of olivine phenocrysts in the HMAs suggest that the parental melt was subduction-related. The results of Rhyolite-MELTS modelling indicates that HMAs may form through upper-crustal fractional crystallization from arc basalts. Therefore, the Daohugou HMAs were most likely formed through fractional crystallization of a parental melt derived from metasomatized lithospheric mantle at crustal depths. The addition of "water" to the cratonic keel may have played a key role in the destruction of the North China Craton.

Geology of the Gusec cratered plains from the Spirit rover transverse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golombek, M. P.; Crumpler, L. S.; Grant, J. A.; Greely, R.; Cabrol, N. A.; Parker, T. J.; Rice, J. W., Jr.; Ward, J. G.; Arvidson, R. E.; Moersch, J. E.;

Planetary basalts - Chemistry and petrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papike, J. J.; Bence, A. E.

1979-01-01

Recent literature (1975-1978) on planetary basalts is reviewed. Terrestrial basalts are considered in relation to Nd and Sm isotopic studies, magma mixing, chemical and mineralogical heterogeneities in basalt source regions, and partial melting controls on basalt chemistry. Attention is also given to features of mare basalts, eucrites, and comparisons of basalts for the earth, the moon, and the parent body of basaltic achondrites.

Hydrogeologic framework and simulation of ground-water flow and travel time in the shallow aquifer system in the area of Naval Support Activity Memphis, Millington, Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, James L.; Carmichael, John K.; Halford, Keith J.; Ladd, David E.

1997-01-01

Naval Support Activity (NSA) Memphis is a Department of the Navy facility located at the City of Millington, Tennessee, about 5 miles north of Memphis. Contaminants have been detected in surface-water, sediment, and ground-water samples collected at the facility. As part of the Installation Restoration Program, the Navy is considering remedial-action options to prevent or lessen the effect of ground-water contamination at the facility and to control the movement and discharge of contaminants. A numerical model of the ground-water-flow system in the area of NSA Memphis was constructed and calibrated so that quantifiable estimates could be made of ground-water-flow rates, direction, and time-of-travel. The sediments beneath NSA Memphis, to a depth of about 200 feet, form a shallow aquifer system. From youngest to oldest, the stratigraphic units that form the shallow aquifer system are alluvium, loess, fluvial deposits, and the Cockfield and Cook Mountain Formations. The shallow aquifer system is organized into five hydrogeologic units: (1) a confining unit composed of the relatively low permeability sediments of the upper alluvium and the loess; (2) the A1 aquifer comprising sand and gravel of the lower alluvium and the fluvial deposits, and sand lenses in the upper part of the preserved section of the Cockfield Formation; (3) a confining unit composed of clay and silt within the upper part of the Cockfield Formation; (4) the Cockfield aquifer comprising sand lenses within the lower part of the preserved section of the Cockfield Formation; and (5) a confining unit formed by low permeability sediments of the Cook Mountain Formation that composes the upper confining unit for the Memphis aquifer. Thicknesses of individual units vary considerably across the facility. Structural and depositional features that affect the occurrence of ground water in the shallow aquifer system include faulting, an erosional scarp, and 'windows' in the confining units. Underlying the shallow aquifer system is the Memphis aquifer, the primary source of water for NSA Memphis and the City of Memphis, Tennessee. Analyses of sediment cores, aquifer and well specific-capacity tests, and numerical modeling were used to estimate the hydraulic characteristics of units of the shallow aquifer system. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of core samples of the alluvium-loess confining unit ranged from about 8.5 x 10-5 to 1.6 x 10-2 feet per day, and the total porosity of the samples ranged from about 35 to 48 percent. The results of the aquifer test were used to estimate a horizontal hydraulic conductivity of about 5 feet per day for the alluvial-fluvial deposits aquifer. The total porosity of core samples of the alluvial-fluvial deposits aquifer ranged from about 22 to 39 percent. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of core samples of the Cockfield confining unit ranged from about 4.5 x 10-5 to 2.5 x 10-3 feet per day, and the total porosity ranged from about 41 to 55 percent. Well specific-capacity tests indicate that the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of sand units that compose the Cockfield aquifer range from about 0.5 to 3 feet per day. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of core samples of the Cook Mountain confining unit ranged from about 5.0 x 10-6 to 9.9 x 10-4 feet per day. Total porosity of core samples of the Cook Mountain confining unit ranged from about 30 to 42 percent. Ground-water flow and time-of-travel in the shallow aquifer system were simulated using the MODFLOW finite-difference model and the -particle-tracking program MODPATH. A three-layer, steady-state model of the shallow aquifer system was constructed and calibrated to the potentiometric surface of the A1 aquifer. Results of numerical modeling support the proposed conceptual hydrogeologic model of the shallow aquifer system. Ground-water time-of-travel in the A1 aquifer was simulated using an assumed effective porosity of 25 percent. Typical ground-water-flow velocities were on the or

Toroidal midplane neutral beam armor and plasma limiter

DOEpatents

Kugel, Henry W.; Hand Jr, Samuel W.; Ksayian, Haig

1986-02-04

For use in a tokamak fusion reactor having a midplane magnetic coil on the inner wall of an evacuated toriodal chamber within which a neutral beam heated, fusing plasma is magnetically confined, a neutral beam armor shield and plasma limiter is provided on the inner wall of the toroidal chamber to shield the midplane coil from neutral beam shine-thru and plasma deposition. The armor shield/plasma limiter forms a semicircular enclosure around the midplane coil with the outer surface of the armor shield/plasma limiter shaped to match, as closely as practical, the inner limiting magnetic flux surface of the toroidally confined, indented, bean-shaped plasma. The armor shield/plasma limiter includes a plurality of semicircular graphite plates each having a pair of coupled upper and lower sections with each plate positioned in intimate contact with an adjacent plate on each side thereof so as to form a closed, planar structure around the entire outer periphery of the circular midplane coil. The upper and lower plate sections are adapted for coupling to heat sensing thermocouples and to a circulating water conduit system for cooling the armor shield/plasma limiter.The inner center portion of each graphite plate is adapted to receive and enclose a section of a circular diagnostic magnetic flux loop so as to minimize the power from the plasma confinement chamber incident upon the flux loop.

Toroidal midplane neutral beam armor and plasma limiter

DOEpatents

Kugel, Henry W.; Hand, Jr, Samuel W.; Ksayian, Haig

1986-01-01

For use in a tokamak fusion reactor having a midplane magnetic coil on the inner wall of an evacuated toriodal chamber within which a neutral beam heated, fusing plasma is magnetically confined, a neutral beam armor shield and plasma limiter is provided on the inner wall of the toroidal chamber to shield the midplane coil from neutral beam shine-thru and plasma deposition. The armor shield/plasma limiter forms a semicircular enclosure around the midplane coil with the outer surface of the armor shield/plasma limiter shaped to match, as closely as practical, the inner limiting magnetic flux surface of the toroidally confined, indented, bean-shaped plasma. The armor shield/plasma limiter includes a plurality of semicircular graphite plates each having a pair of coupled upper and lower sections with each plate positioned in intimate contact with an adjacent plate on each side thereof so as to form a closed, planar structure around the entire outer periphery of the circular midplane coil. The upper and lower plate sections are adapted for coupling to heat sensing thermocouples and to a circulating water conduit system for cooling the armor shield/plasma limiter.The inner center portion of each graphite plate is adapted to receive and enclose a section of a circular diagnostic magnetic flux loop so as to minimize the power from the plasma confinement chamber incident upon the flux loop.

Hydrogeologic setting, hydraulic properties, and ground-water flow at the O-Field area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banks, W.S.; Smith, B.S.; Donnelly, C.A.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Army disposed chemical agents, laboratory materials, and unexploded ordnance at O-Field in the Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, from before World War II until at least the 1950's. Soil, ground water, surface water,and wetland sediments in the O-Field area were contaminated from the disposal activity. A ground-water-flow model of the O-Field area was constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1989 to simulate flow in the central and southern part of the Gunpowder Neck. The USGS began an additional study of the contamination in the O-Field area in cooperation with the U.S. Army in 1990 to (1) further define the hydrogeologic framework of the O-Field area, (2) characterize the hydraulic properties of the aquifers and confining units, and (3) define ground-water flow paths at O-Field based on the current data and simulations of ground-water flow. A water-table aquifer, an upper confining unit, and an upper confined aquifer comprise the shallow ground-water aquifer system of the O-Field area. A lower confining unit, through which ground-water movement is negligible, is considered a lower boundary to the shallow aquifer system. These units are all part of the Pleistocene Talbot Formation. The model developed in the previous study was redesigned using the data collected during this study and emphasized New O-Field. The current steady-state model was calibrated to water levels of June 1993. The rate of ground-water flow calculated by the model was approximately 0.48 feet per day (ft/d) and the rate determined from chlorofluorocarbon dates was approximately 0.39 ft/d.

Previously unrecognized regional structure of the Coastal Belt of the Franciscan Complex, northern California, revealed by magnetic data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, Victoria; Jachens, Robert C.; Wentworth, Carl M.; McLaughlin, Robert J.

2013-01-01

Magnetic anomalies provide surprising structural detail within the previously undivided Coastal Belt, the westernmost, youngest, and least-metamorphosed part of the Franciscan Complex of northern California. Although the Coastal Belt consists almost entirely of arkosic graywacke and shale of mainly Eocene age, new detailed aeromagnetic data show that it is pervasively marked by long, narrow, and regularly spaced anomalies. These anomalies arise from relatively simple tabular bodies composed principally of magnetic basalt or graywacke confi ned mainly to the top couple of kilometers, even though metamorphic grade indicates that these rocks have been more deeply buried, at depths of 5–8 km. If true, this implies surprisingly uniform uplift of these rocks. The basalt (and associated Cretaceous limestone) occurs largely in the northern part of the Coastal Belt; the graywacke is recognized only in the southern Coastal Belt and is magnetic because it contains andesitic grains. The magnetic grains were not derived from the basalt, and thus require a separate source. The anomalies defi ne simple patterns that can be related to folding and faulting within the Coastal Belt. This apparent simplicity belies complex structure mapped at outcrop scale, which can be explained if the relatively simple tabular bodies are internally deformed, fault-bounded slabs. One mechanism that can explain the widespread lateral extent of the thin layers of basalt is peeling up of the uppermost part of the oceanic crust into the accretionary prism, controlled by porosity and permeability contrasts caused by alteration in the upper part of the subducting slab. It is not clear, however, how this mechanism might generate fault-bounded layers containing magnetic graywacke. We propose that structural domains defined by anomaly trend, wavelength, and source reflect imbrication and folding during the accretion process and local plate interactions as the Mendocino triple junction migrated north, a hypothesis that should be tested by more detailed structural studies.

The offshore Palos Verdes fault zone near San Pedro, Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, M.A.; Normark, W.R.; Langenheim, V.E.; Calvert, A.J.; Sliter, R.

2004-01-01

High-resolution seismic-reflection data are combined with a variety of other geophysical and geological data to interpret the offshore structure and earthquake hazards of the San Pedro shelf, near Los Angeles, California. Prominent structures investigated include the Wilmington graben, the Palos Verdes fault zone, various faults below the west part of the San Pedro shelf and slope, and the deep-water San Pedro basin. The structure of the Palos Verdes fault zone changes markedly along strike southeastward across the San Pedro shelf and slope. Under the north part of the shelf, this fault zone includes several strands, with the main strand dipping west. Under the slope, the main fault strands exhibit normal separation and mostly dip east. To the southeast near Lasuen Knoll, the Palos Verdes fault zone locally is low angle, but elsewhere near this knoll, the fault dips steeply. Fresh seafloor scarps near Lasuen Knoll indicate recent fault movement. We explain the observed structural variation along the Palos Verdes fault zone as the result of changes in strike and fault geometry along a master right-lateral strike-slip fault at depth. Complicated movement along this deep fault zone is suggested by the possible wave-cut terraces on Lasuen Knoll, which indicate subaerial exposure during the last sea level lowstand and subsequent subsidence of the knoll. Modeling of aeromagnetic data indicates a large magnetic body under the west part of the San Pedro shelf and upper slope. We interpret this body to be thick basalt of probable Miocene age. This basalt mass appears to have affected the pattern of rock deformation, perhaps because the basalt was more competent during deformation than the sedimentary rocks that encased the basalt. West of the Palos Verdes fault zone, other northwest-striking faults deform the outer shelf and slope. Evidence for recent movement along these faults is equivocal, because we lack age dates on deformed or offset sediment.

Unconventional maar diatreme and associated intrusions in the soft sediment-hosted Mardoux structure (Gergovie, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valentine, Greg A.; van Wyk de Vries, Benjamin

2014-03-01

A Miocene age volcanic-hypabyssal structure comprising volcaniclastic deposits and mafic intrusions is exposed with vertical relief of ˜110 m on the side of Gergovie Plateau (Auvergne, France). Three main volcaniclastic facies are: (1) Fluidal tuff breccia composed of juvenile basalt and sediment clasts with dominantly fluidal shapes, with several combinations of basalt and sediment within individual clasts. (2) Thickly bedded lapilli tuff composed of varying proportions of fine-grained sediment derived from Oligocene-Miocene lacustrine marls and mudstones and basaltic lapilli, blocks, and bombs. (3) Planar-bedded tuff forming thin beds of fine to coarse ash-size sedimentary material and basalt clasts. Intrusive bodies in the thickly bedded lapilli tuff range from irregularly shaped and anastomosing dikes and sills of meters to tens of meters in length, to a main feeder dike that is up to ˜20 m wide, and that flares into a spoon-shaped sill at ˜100 m in diameter and 10-20 m thick in the eastern part of the structure. Volcaniclastic deposits and structural features suggest that ascending magma entrained soft, saturated sediment host material into the feeder dike and erupted fluidal magma and wet sediment via weak, Strombolian-like explosions. Host sediment and erupted material subsided to replace the extracted sediments, producing the growth subsidence structure that is similar to upper diatreme facies in typical maar diatremes but lacks evidence for explosive disruption of diatreme fill. Irregularly shaped small intrusions extended from the main feeder dike into the diatreme, and many were disaggregated due to shifting and subsidence of diatreme fill and recycled via eruption. The Mardoux structure is an "unconventional" maar diatreme in that it was produced mainly by weak explosive activity rather than by violent phreatomagmatic explosions and is an example of complex coupling between soft sediment and ascending magma.

Bingham fluid behavior of plagioclase-bearing basaltic magma: Approach from laboratory viscosity measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishibashi, H.; Sato, H.

2010-12-01

Datasets of one atmosphere high temperature rotational viscometry of the Fuji 1707 basalt (Ishibashi, 2009) were analyzed based on the Bingham fluid model, and both yield stress and Bingham viscosity were determined. Reproducibility of the dataset by the Bingham fluid model was slightly better than that by the power law fluid modes adopted in our previous study although both the fluid models well represent the dataset in practical perspective. The relation between Bingham viscosity and crystallinity was compared with the Krieger-Dougherty equation, and both the maximum packing fraction of crystals and intrinsic viscosity for Bingham viscosity were determined ca. 0.45 and ca. 5.25, respectively, revealing that the maximum packing fraction decreased and intrinsic viscosity increased concomitantly with the increase in shape-anisotropy of crystals. However, the obtained value of the product of the maximum packing fraction and intrinsic viscosity (= ca. 2.36) was similar to that of uniform, isotropic-shaped particles (= 2.5), indicating that the effect of crystal shape-anisotropy on Bingham viscosity might be predicted only by change of the maximum packing fraction. Finite yield stress was detected for crystallinity larger than 0.133; it increased with crystallinity which suggests that critical crystallinity for onset of yield stress is at least lower than 0.133. The upper limit value of the critical crystallinity resembles the value calculated numerically for randomly oriented uniform particles by Saar et al. (2001) (0.10-0.15 for width/length ratio of 0.1-0.2, which is similar to the ratios in the basalt) whereas crystals in the basalt were moderately parallel arranged and their sizes vary significantly. That fact might be explained as follows; effects of parallel arrangement and size variation of crystals on the critical crystallinity are offset by the effect of variation in crystal shape-anisotropy, which suggests that shape-anisotropy distribution of crystals must be a critical factor for the onset of yield stress. Keywords: magma, viscosity, Bingham fluid, yield stress, plagioclase

The volcanic history of Volcán Alcedo, Galápagos Archipelago: a case study of rhyolitic oceanic volcanism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geist, Dennis J.; Howard, Keith A.; Jellinek, A. Mark; Rayder, Scott

1994-01-01

Volcán Alcedo is one of the seven western Galápagos shields and is the only active Galápagos volcano known to have erupted rhyolite as well as basalt. The volcano stands 4 km above the sea floor and has a subaerial volume of 200 km3, nearly all of which is basalt. As Volcán Alcedo grew, it built an elongate domal shield, which was partly truncated during repeated caldera-collapse and partial-filling episodes. An outward-dipping sequence of basalt flows at least 250 m thick forms the steepest (to 33°) flanks of the volcano and is not tilted; thus a constructional origin for the steep upper flanks is favored. About 1 km3 of rhyolite erupted late in the volcano's history from at least three vents and in 2–5 episodes. The most explosive of these produced a tephra blanket that covers the eastern half of the volcano. Homogeneous rhyolitic pumice is overlain by dacite-rhyolite commingled pumice, with no stratigraphic break. The tephra is notable for its low density and coarse grain size. The calculated height of the eruption plume is 23–30 km, and the intensity is estimated to have been 1.2x108 kg/s. Rhyolitic lavas vented from the floor of the caldera and from fissures along the rim overlie the tephra of the plinian phase. The age of the rhyolitic eruptions is ≤120 ka, on the basis of K-Ar ages. Between ten and 20 basaltic lava flows are younger than the rhyolites. Recent faulting resulted in a moat around part of the caldera floor. Alcedo most resently erupted sometime between 1946 and 1960 from its southern flank. Alcedo maintains an active, transient hydrothermal system. Acoustic and seismic activity in 1991 is attributed to the disruption of the hydrothermal system by a regional-scale earthquake.

The impact of degassing on the oxidation state of basaltic magmas: A case study of Kīlauea volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussallam, Yves; Edmonds, Marie; Scaillet, Bruno; Peters, Nial; Gennaro, Emanuela; Sides, Issy; Oppenheimer, Clive

2016-09-01

Volcanic emissions link the oxidation state of the Earth's mantle to the composition of the atmosphere. Whether the oxidation state of an ascending magma follows a redox buffer - hence preserving mantle conditions - or deviates as a consequence of degassing remains under debate. Thus, further progress is required before erupted basalts can be used to infer the redox state of the upper mantle or the composition of their co-emitted gases to the atmosphere. Here we present the results of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the iron K-edge carried out for a series of melt inclusions and matrix glasses from ejecta associated with three eruptions of Kīlauea volcano (Hawai'i). We show that the oxidation state of these melts is strongly correlated with their volatile content, particularly in respect of water and sulfur contents. We argue that sulfur degassing has played a major role in the observed reduction of iron in the melt, while the degassing of H2O and CO2 appears to have had a negligible effect on the melt oxidation state under the conditions investigated. Using gas-melt equilibrium degassing models, we relate the oxidation state of the melt to the composition of the gases emitted at Kīlauea. Our measurements and modelling yield a lower constraint on the oxygen fugacity of the mantle source beneath Kīlauea volcano, which we infer to be near the nickel nickel-oxide (NNO) buffer. Our findings should be widely applicable to other basaltic systems and we predict that the oxidation state of the mantle underneath most hotspot volcanoes is more oxidised than that of the associated lavas. We also suggest that whether the oxidation states of a basalt (in particular MORB) reflects that of its source, is primarily determined by the extent of sulfur degassing.

Rangitoto Volcano Drilling Project: Life of a Small 'Monogenetic' Basaltic Shield in the Auckland Volcanic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shane, P. A. R.; Linnell, T.; Lindsay, J. M.; Smith, I. E.; Augustinus, P. M.; Cronin, S. J.

2014-12-01

Rangitoto is a small basaltic shield volcano representing the most recent and most voluminous episode of volcanism in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand. Auckland City is built on the field, and hence, Rangitoto's importance in hazard-risk modelling. The symmetrical edifice, ~6 km wide and 260 m high, has volume of 1.78 km3. It comprises summit scoria cones and a lava field. However, the lack of deep erosion dissection has prevented the development of an eruptive stratigraphy. Previous studies suggested construction in a relatively short interval at 550-500 yrs BP. However, microscopic tephra have been interpreted as evidence of intermittent activity from 1498 +/- 140 to 504 +/- 6 yrs BP, a longevity of 1000 years. A 150-m-deep hole was drilled through the edifice in February 2014 to obtain a continuous core record. The result is an unparalleled stratigraphy of the evolution of a small shield volcano. The upper 128 m of core comprises at least 27 lava flows with thicknesses in the range 0.3-15 m, representing the main shield-building phase. Underlying marine sediments are interbedded with 8 m of pyroclastic lapilli, and a thin lava flow, representing the explosive phreatomagmatic birth of the volcano. Preliminary geochemical analyses reveal suite of relatively uniform transitional basalts (MgO = 8.1 to 9.7 wt %). However, 4 compositional groups are distinguished that were erupted in sequential order. High-MgO magmas were erupted first, followed by a two more heterogeneous groups displaying differentiation trends with time. Finally, distinct low-MgO basalts were erupted. Each magma type appears to represent a new magma batch. The core places the magma types in a time series, which can be correlated to the surface lava field. Hence, allowing a geometrical reconstruction of the shield growth. Additional petrologic investigations are providing insight to magmatic ascent processes, while radiocarbon and paleomagnetic secular variation studies will reveal the duration of activity.

Partial melting and melt percolation in the mantle: The message from Fe isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weyer, Stefan; Ionov, Dmitri A.

2007-07-01

High precision Fe isotope measurements have been performed on various mantle peridotites (fertile lherzolites, harzburgites, metasomatised Fe-enriched peridotites) and volcanic rocks (mainly oceanic basalts) from different localities and tectonic settings. The peridotites yield an average δ 56Fe = 0.01‰ and are significantly lighter than the basalts (average δ 56Fe = 0.11‰). Furthermore, the peridotites display a negative correlation of δ 56Fe with Mg# indicating a link between δ 56Fe and degrees of melt extraction. Taken together, these findings imply that Fe isotopes fractionate during partial melting, with heavy isotopes preferentially entering the melt. The slope of depletion trends (δ 56Fe versus Mg#) of the peridotites was used to model Fe isotope fractionation during partial melting, resulting in αmantle-melt ≈ 1.0001-1.0003 or ln αmantle-melt ≈ 0.1-0.3‰. In contrast to most other peridotites investigated in this study, spinel lherzolites and harzburgites from three localities (Horoman, Kamchatka and Lherz) are virtually unaffected by metasomatism. These three sites display a particularly good correlation and define an isotope fractionation factor of ln αmantle-melt ≈ 0.3‰. This modelled value implies Fe isotope fractionation between residual mantle and mantle-derived melts corresponding to Δ56Fe mantle-basalt ≈ 0.2-0.3‰, i.e. significantly higher than the observed difference between averages for all the peridotites and the basalts in this study (corresponding to Δ56Fe mantle-basalt ≈ 0.1‰). Either disequilibrium melting increased the modelled αmantle-melt for these particular sites or the difference between average peridotite and basalt may be reduced by partial re-equilibration between the isotopically heavy basalts and the isotopically light depleted lithospheric mantle during melt ascent. The slope of the weaker δ 56Fe-Mg# trend defined by the combined set of all mantle peridotites from this study is more consistent with the generally observed difference between peridotites and basalts; this slope was used here to estimate the Fe isotope composition of the fertile upper mantle (at Mg# = 0.894, δ 56Fe ≈ 0.02 ± 0.03‰). Besides partial melting, the Fe isotope composition of mantle peridotites can also be significantly modified by metasomatic events, e.g. melt percolation. At two localities (Tok, Siberia and Tariat, Mongolia) δ 56Fe correlates with iron contents of the peridotites, which was increased from about 8% to up to 14.5% FeO by post-melting melt percolation. This process produced a range of Fe isotope compositions in the percolation columns, from extremely light (δ 56Fe = - 0.42‰) to heavy (δ 56Fe = + 0.17‰). We propose reaction with isotopically heavy melts and diffusion (enrichment of light Fe isotopes) as the most likely processes that produced the large isotope variations at these sites. Thus, Fe isotopes might be used as a sensitive tracer to identify such metasomatic processes in the mantle.

Terminal Pleistocene to early Holocene volcanic eruptions at Zuni Salt Lake, west-central New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onken, Jill; Forman, Steven

2017-01-01

Zuni Salt Lake (ZSL) is a large maar in the Red Hill-Quemado volcanic field located in west-central New Mexico in the southwestern USA. Stratigraphic analysis of sections in and around the maar, coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating, indicate that ZSL volcanic activity occurred between ˜13.4 and 9.9 ka and was most likely confined to a ≤500-year interval sometime between ˜12.3 and 11.0 ka. The basal volcanic unit consists of locally widespread basaltic ash fallout interpreted to represent a violent or wind-aided strombolian eruption tentatively attributed to Cerro Pomo, a scoria cone ˜10 km south of ZSL. Subsequent eruptions emanated from vents near or within the present-day ZSL maar crater. Strombolian eruptions of multiple spatter and scoria cones produced basaltic lava and scoria lapilli fallout. Next, a phreatomagmatic eruption created the maar crater and surrounding tephra rim and apron. ZSL eruptions ended with strombolian eruptions that formed three scoria cones on the crater floor. The revised age range of ZSL is younger and more precise than the 190-24 ka 2-sigma age range derived from previous argon dating. This implies that other morphologically youthful, argon-dated volcanoes on the southern margin of the Colorado Plateau might be substantially younger than previously reported.

Experimental constraints on the damp peridotite solidus and oceanic mantle potential temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarafian, Emily; Gaetani, Glenn A.; Hauri, Erik H.; Sarafian, Adam R.

2017-03-01

Decompression of hot mantle rock upwelling beneath oceanic spreading centers causes it to exceed the melting point (solidus), producing magmas that ascend to form basaltic crust ~6 to 7 kilometers thick. The oceanic upper mantle contains ~50 to 200 micrograms per gram of water (H2O) dissolved in nominally anhydrous minerals, which—relative to its low concentration—has a disproportionate effect on the solidus that has not been quantified experimentally. Here, we present results from an experimental determination of the peridotite solidus containing known amounts of dissolved hydrogen. Our data reveal that the H2O-undersaturated peridotite solidus is hotter than previously thought. Reconciling geophysical observations of the melting regime beneath the East Pacific Rise with our experimental results requires that existing estimates for the oceanic upper mantle potential temperature be adjusted upward by about 60°C.

Heterogeneity in mantle carbon content from CO2-undersaturated basalts

PubMed Central

Le Voyer, M.; Kelley, K.A.; Cottrell, E.; Hauri, E.H.

2017-01-01

The amount of carbon present in Earth's mantle affects the dynamics of melting, volcanic eruption style and the evolution of Earth's atmosphere via planetary outgassing. Mantle carbon concentrations are difficult to quantify because most magmas are strongly degassed upon eruption. Here we report undegassed carbon concentrations from a new set of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We use the correlations of CO2 with trace elements to define an average carbon abundance for the upper mantle. Our results indicate that the upper mantle carbon content is highly heterogeneous, varying by almost two orders of magnitude globally, with the potential to produce large geographic variations in melt fraction below the volatile-free solidus. Such heterogeneity will manifest as variations in the depths at which melt becomes interconnected and detectable, the CO2 fluxes at mid-ocean ridges, the depth of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, and mantle conductivity. PMID:28082738

Hydrologic properties and ground-water flow systems of the Paleozoic rocks in the upper Colorado River basin in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, excluding the San Juan Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geldon, Arthur L.

2003-01-01

The hydrologic properties and ground-water flow systems of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin were investigated under the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program of the U.S. Geological Survey in anticipation of the development of water supplies from bedrock aquifers to fulfill the region's growing water demands. The study area, in parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, covers about 100,000 square miles. It includes parts of four physiographic provinces--the Middle Rocky Mountains, Wyoming Basin, Southern Rocky Mountains, and Colorado Plateaus. A variety of landforms, including mountains, plateaus, mesas, cuestas, plains, badlands, and canyons, are present. Altitudes range from 3,100 to 14,500 feet. Precipitation is distributed orographically and ranges from less than 6 inches per year at lower altitudes to more than 60 inches per year in some mountainous areas. Most of the infrequent precipitation at altitudes of less than 6,000 feet is consumed by evapotranspiration. The Colorado and Green Rivers are the principal streams: the 1964-82 average discharge of the Colorado River where it leaves the Upper Colorado River Basin is 12,170 cubic feet per second (a decrease of 5,680 cubic feet per second since construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963). On the basis of their predominant lithologic and hydrologic properties, the Paleozoic rocks are classified into four aquifers and three confining units. The Flathead aquifer, Gros Ventre confining unit, Bighorn aquifer, Elbert-Parting confining unit, and Madison aquifer (Redwall-Leadville and Darwin-Humbug zones) make up the Four Corners aquifer system. A thick sequence, composed mostly of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian shale, anhydrite, halite, and carbonate rocks--the Four Corners confining unit (Belden-Molas and Paradox-Eagle Valley subunits)--overlies the Four Corners aquifer system in most areas and inhibits vertical ground-water flow between the Four Corners aquifer system and the overlying Canyonlands aquifer. Composed of the uppermost Paleozoic rocks, the Canyonlands aquifer consists, in ascending order, of the Cutler-Maroon, Weber-De Chelly, and Park City-State Bridge zones. The Paleozoic rocks are underlain by a basal confining unit consisting of Precambrian sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks and overlain throughout most of the Upper Colorado River Basin by the Chinle-Moenkopi confining unit, which consists of Triassic formations composed mostly of shale. The largest values of porosity, permeability, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and artesian yield are exhibited by the Redwall-Leadville zone of the Madison aquifer and the Weber-De Chelly zone of the Canyonlands aquifer. The former consists almost entirely of Devonian and Mississippian carbonate rocks: the latter consists mostly of Pennsylvanian and Permian quartz sandstone. Unit-averaged porosity in hydrogeologic units composed of Paleozoic rocks ranges from less than 1 to 28 percent. Permeability ranges from less than 0.0001 to 3,460 millidarcies. Unit-averaged hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.000005 to 200 feet per day. The composite transmissivity of Paleozoic rocks ranges from 0.0005 to 47,000 feet squared per day. Artesian yields to wells and springs (excluding atypical springflows) from these hydrogeologic units range from less than 1 to 10,000 gallons per minute. The permeability and watersupply capabilities of all hydrogeologic units progressively decrease from uplifted areas to structural basins. Recharge to the Paleozoic rocks is provided by direct infiltration of precipitation, leakage from streams, and ground-water inflows from structurally continuous areas west and north of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The total recharge available flom ground-water systems in the basin from direct precipitation and stream leakage is estimated to be 6,600,000 acre-feet per year. However, little of this recharge directly enters the Paleozoic rocks

Structure and composition of the Southern Mariana Forearc: new observations and samples from Shinkai 6500 dive studies in 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohara, Y.; Reagan, M. K.; Ishizuka, O.; Stern, R. J.

2010-12-01

The 3000-km long Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) Arc system is an outstanding example of an intraoceanic convergent plate margin, and has become the particular focus of Japanese and US efforts to understand the operation of the “Subduction Factory”. In 2006 and 2008, twelve DSV Shinkai 6500 dives (973-977 and 1091-1097) were performed during YK06-12 and YK08-08 Leg 2 cruises along the landward slope of the southern Mariana Trench. The goal was to sample the remaining early arc crust associated with subduction initiation in the IBM system and upper mantle exposed in the forearc in order to gain a clearer understanding of the structure and evolution of Mariana forearc crust and upper mantle. The fruitful results include the recovery of the entire suite of rocks associated with what could be termed a “supra-subduction zone ophiolite” that formed during subduction initiation. An important discovery is that MORB-like tholeiitic basalts crop out over large areas. These “fore-arc basalts” (FAB) underlie boninites and overlie diabasic and gabbroic rocks. Potential origins include eruption at a spreading center before subduction began or eruption during near-trench spreading after subduction began (Reagan et al., 2010, G3). Another important discovery is a region of active forearc rifting at the southern end of the Mariana arc, named SE Mariana Forearc Rift (SEMFR). The SEMFR was firstly mapped with HMR-1 sonar (Martinez et al., 2000, JGR). Two dives at SEMFR recovered less-depleted backarc related peridotites (at Dive 973; Michibayashi et al., 2009, G3), and fresh basalts and basaltic andesites with petrographic characteristics like backarc basin lavas (at Dive 1096; see Ribeiro et al., AGU FM 2010). Although our previous studies have produced a number of important new observations about the geology of the southern Mariana forearc, our understanding of the region is still primitive. We will be conducting another cruise (YK10-12) during late September, 2010 to tackle two important problems by in-situ dive operations using the Shinkai 6500 and deep-tow camera: (1) Increasing the sampling density along the southern Mariana forearc, thereby providing detail for the lithological map of subduction initiation sequences. A particular goal will be to obtain a more complete suite of gabbroic lithologies for better radiometric age control. (2) Increasing the sampling density in the SEMFR to gain a better understanding of this newly indentified active rift and the origin of its near-trench basalts. In this contribution, we will report the results of this cruise, synthesizing our current understanding of the structure and composition of the southern Mariana forearc.

New Paleomagnetic Data from Upper Permian and Lower Triassic Volcanic Sequences from Hua Binh, Quynh Nhai, and Thuan Chau Localities, Northwest Veitnam and Their Bearing on the Accretion History of Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geissman, J. W.; Chi, C. T.

2015-12-01

New paleomagnetic data from Upper Permian to Lower Triassic volcanic rocks sampled in NW Vietnam provide more quantitative constraints on the paleogeographic setting of crustal elements that comprise the Song Da Terrane, east of the Song Ma suture, between the South China block (SCB) and north Indochina. These include results from 12 sites (125 samples) from basalts of the Vien Nam Formation, exposed at Hoa Binh Dam; eight sites (74 samples) from basalts of the Cam Thuy Formation near Thuan Chau; and 19 sites (198 samples) from andesites and basalts of the Vien Nam Formation near Quynh Nhai. The collection is limited by the quality of exposures and quantity of independent flows. Most sites yield interpretable magnetizations in progressive demagnetization, and the response implies that characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) components are carried by low-titanium magnetite or hematite, or a combination of both; these are isolated from secondary components. Rock magnetic data and petrography support the retention of an early-acquired thermoremanent magnetization in most sites. The Vien Nam Formation mafic volcanic rocks yield a grand mean, in geographic coordinates, of D=33.8o, I=-28.4o ( a95 = 9.5o, k =30.3, N=9 accepted sites), and a pole position at Lat=41.1N, Long=239.8E and a paleolatitude at ~15o S during the Late Permian to Early Triassic. Permian basalts of the Cam Thuy Formation provide a grand mean, corrected for structural tilt, of D=216.1o, I=+10.5o, a95=8.9o, k=107.8, and N= 4, with a pole position at Lat=45.6N, Long=226.8E. Volcanic rocks at the Quynh Nhai locality likely yield the most robust paleofield determination, as the data set is of dual polarity and passes a reversal test. The tilt corrected grand mean (normal polarity) is D=48.3o, I=-10.0o, a95=8.0o, k=27.7, N = 13, and this in turn yields an inferred paleomagnetic pole at Lat=35.7N, Long=217.4E, and a paleolatitude of 5.1oS for the late Permian. Compared with the Late Permian-Early Triassic SCB apparent polar wander path, the data show that volcanic crustal elements of northwest Vietnam, east of the Song Ma suture zone, have been close to, but not unequivocally a coherent part of the SCB, since the Late Permian. Development of the parallel NW-SE striking Song Ma and Song Chay orogenic belts did not involve the closure of wide (> 500 km) ocean basins.

Geohydrology of the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin, southwestern Georgia, northwestern Florida, and southeastern Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Torak, Lynn J.; Painter, Jaime A.

2006-01-01

The lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin contains about 4,600 square miles of karstic and fluvial plains and nearly 100,000 cubic miles of predominantly karst limestone connected hydraulically to the principal rivers and lakes in the Coastal Plain of southwestern Georgia, northwestern Florida, and southwestern Alabama. Sediments of late-middle Eocene to Holocene in hydraulic connection with lakes, streams, and land surface comprise the surficial aquifer system, upper semiconfining unit, Upper Floridan aquifer, and lower semiconfining unit and contribute to the exchange of ground water and surface water in the stream-lake-aquifer flow system. Karst processes, hydraulic properties, and stratigraphic relations limit ground-water and surface-water interaction to the following hydrologic units of the stream-lake-aquifer flow system: the surficial aquifer system, upper semiconfining unit, Upper Floridan aquifer, and lower confining unit. Geologic units corresponding to these hydrologic units are, in ascending order: Lisbon Formation; Clinchfield Sand; Ocala, Marianna, Suwannee, and Tampa Limestones; Hawthorn Group; undifferentiated overburden (residuum); and terrace and undifferentiated (surficial) deposits. Similarities in hydraulic properties and direct or indirect interaction with surface water allow grouping sediments within these geologic units into the aforementioned hydrologic units, which transcend time-stratigraphic classifications and define the geohydrologic framework for the lower ACF River Basin. The low water-transmitting properties of the lower confining unit, principally the Lisbon Formation, allow it to act as a nearly impermeable base to the stream-lake-aquifer flow system. Hydraulic connection of the surficial aquifer system with surface water and the Upper Floridan aquifer is direct where sandy deposits overlie the limestone, or indirect where fluvial deposits overlie clayey limestone residuum. The water level in perched zones within the surficial aquifer system fluctuates independently of water-level changes in the underlying aquifer, adjacent streams, or lakes. Where the surficial aquifer system is connected with surface water and the Upper Floridan aquifer, water-table fluctuations parallel those in adjacent streams or the underlying aquifer. More...

Constraints from geochemistry and oxygen isotopes for the hydrothermal origin of orthoamphibole mafic gneiss in the New Jersey Highlands, north-central Appalachians, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkert, Richard A.; Peck, William H.

2017-12-01

Rare exposures of orthoamphibole mafic (Oam) gneiss of Mesoproterozoic age in the north-central Appalachians are confined to the northwestern New Jersey Highlands where they form thin lens-shaped bodies composed of gedrite and sparse anthophyllite, oligoclase (An13-An20), biotite, magnetite, and local fluorapatite, rutile, and ilmenite. The gneiss is penetratively foliated and has sharp, conformable contacts against enclosing supracrustal paragneiss and marble. Orthoamphibole mafic gneiss is characterized by low SiO2 (48 ± 2.5 wt%), CaO (1.9 ± 1.3 wt%), and high Al2O3 (18 ± 1.2 wt%), Fe2O3 (10.5 ± 1.6 wt%), and MgO (12 ± 2.3 wt%). Trace element abundances overlap those of unaltered amphibolites in the study area and, coupled with δ18O values of 9.45 ± 0.6‰ (VSMOW) from gedrite separates, support an origin from a basalt protolith. The geochemical and isotopic data are consistent with the formation of Oam gneiss through sea floor hydrothermal alteration of basalt at low temperature of 150-200 °C. Mass-balance calculations indicate gains during alteration mainly in MgO and Al2O3 and losses in CaO, Sr, and light rare earth elements. Our results are compatible with the pre-metamorphic alteration of the basalt protoliths through chloritization and plagioclase dissolution that produced a Mg-rich and Ca-poor rock. Subsequent metamorphism of this chlorite-rich rock to the current mineral assemblage of Oam gneiss took place at ca. 1045 Ma, during the Ottawan phase of the Grenvillian Orogeny. The close spatial association in the study area of Oam gneiss bodies and sulfide occurrences suggests an affinity to the style of mineralization associated with volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS)-type deposits.

A new interpretation of the structure of the Sept Iles Intrusive suite, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, Michael D.

2005-08-01

The layered mafic intrusion at Sept Iles, Canada, is one of the largest intrusions in the world. A new interpretation of its structure is proposed, based on a review of its geology and a comparison with the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland. Several different magmatic components are recognized; hence the name Sept Iles Intrusive suite (SIIS) is proposed. Emplacement of the suite may have been preceded by eruption of flood basalts. The first magmas of the suite rose in the crust to accumulate beneath the density filter afforded by the basalts. The largest component is the Sept Iles Mafic intrusion (SIMI). The Lower series of the SIMI is dominated by leucotroctolites and leucogabbros. Above it lie the Layered series, which is largely comprised of gabbro and troctolite. Both these units are unchanged from earlier interpretations. The anorthosites (s.l.), gabbros and monzogabbros, formerly called the Transitional series, are now considered to be the Upper Border series, developed by floatation of plagioclase. Common autoliths in the Layered series are parts of the hydrothermally altered Upper Border series from towards the interior of the intrusion, which have foundered and settled through the magma. The contamination of the magma that accompanied this event oxidised iron in the magma and led to the precipitation of magnetite around the periphery of the intrusion. The subsequent depletion of Fe 3+ and/or increase in SiO 2, CaO and P 2O 5 may have induced apatite saturation and accumulation to form two layers rich in apatite, near the base and at top of the Layered series. Granitic magma was developed by fractional crystallisation and was emplaced along the roof of the chamber, where it acquired large quantities of xenoliths. These were probably derived from the flood basalts, their evolved members and fragments of mafic dykes chilled by the granitic magma. Accumulations of monzonite pillows in this unit testify to another magmatic event and a floor to the granitic magma chamber, indicating lateral transport of magma. Chemically distinct syenites in the upper part of the intrusion are part of the Point du Criade intrusion, a large, late composite sill. Diabase and leucogabbro components show a close link with the SIMI and all the acidic magmas may have originally formed by differentiation of the main magma in cupolas towards the centre of the intrusion. A series of late gabbro intrusions that cut the SIMI may represent a rejuvenation of magmatism. The Border zone is a mass of fine-grained rocks that occurs along the border of the SIMI: it may be another magmatic component, or just the lateral border series of the SIMI.

The hydrogeologic framework for the southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Renken, R.A.

1984-01-01

Tertiary and Cretaceous age sand aquifers of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain constitute a distinct multistate hydrogeologic regime informally defined as the southeastern sand aquifer. Seven regional hydrogeologic units are defined; four regional aquifer units and three regional confining beds. Sand aquifers of this system consist of quartzose, feldspathic, and coarse to fine sand and sandstone and minor limestone; confining beds are composed of clay, shale, chalk, and marl. Three hydrogeologic units of Cretaceous to Holocene age overlie the sand system: the surficial aquifer, upper confining unit, and Floridan aquifer system. These three units are not part of the southeastern sand aquifer, but are an integral element of the total hydrogeologic system, and some act as a source of recharge to, or discharge from the underlying clastic sediments. Low-permeability strata of Paleozoic to early Mesozoic age form the base off the total system. (USGS)

Vertical movement of ground water under the Merrill Field landfill, Anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Gordon L.; Dearborn, L.L.

1982-01-01

Shallow groundwater under the Merrill Field sanitary landfill at Anchorage is polluted by leachate. Wells, including three Municipal-supply wells, obtain water from two confined aquifers 100-300 feet beneath the landfill area. Aquifer-test data and information on subsurface geology, ground-water levels, and properties of materials were used to estimate vertical gradients and vertical permeabilities under the landfill. The authors ' best estimates ' of vertical permeabilities of two confining units are 1 x 10 super -2 foot per day and 2 x 10 super -4 foot per day. Theoretical travel-time calculations indicate that minor amounts of pollutants may reach the upper confined aquifer after many tens of years, but that water of the composition of the leachate probably would not reach the aquifer for more than three centuries. The range of error in the theoretical travel-time calculations is likely to be plus or minus a factor of two or three. (USGS)

Altitudes and thicknesses of hydrogeologic units of the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Westerman, Drew A.; Gillip, Jonathan A.; Richards, Joseph M.; Hays, Phillip D.; Clark, Brian R.

2016-09-29

A hydrogeologic framework was constructed to represent the altitudes and thicknesses of hydrogeologic units within the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system as part of a regional groundwater-flow model supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program. The Ozark Plateaus aquifer system study area is nearly 70,000 square miles and includes parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Nine hydrogeologic units were selected for delineation within the aquifer system and include the Western Interior Plains confining system, the Springfield Plateau aquifer, the Ozark confining unit, the Ozark aquifer, which was divided into the upper, middle, and lower Ozark aquifers to better capture the spatial variation in the hydrologic properties, the St. Francois confining unit, the St. Francois aquifer, and the basement confining unit. Geophysical and well-cutting logs, along with lithologic descriptions by well drillers, were compiled and interpreted to create hydrologic altitudes for each unit. The final compiled dataset included more than 23,000 individual altitude points (excluding synthetic points) representing the nine hydrogeologic units within the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system.

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.

Tectonomagmatic significance of the picrite-rhyolite volcanism in the Northern Ethiopian plateau area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natali, Claudio; Beccaluva, Luigi; Bianchini, Gianluca; Siena, Franca

2010-05-01

The Oligocene Continental Flood Basalts (CFB) of the Northern Ethiopia and the conjugate Yemen province testifies a huge volcanic event related to the "Afar plume" occurred at ca. 30 Ma (in 1 Ma or less; Hofmann et al., 1997) prior to the continental rifting stage. The zonal arrangement of CFB lavas with Low-Ti tholeiites (LT) in the west, High-Ti tholeiites (HT1) to the east and very High-Ti transitional basalts and picrites (HT2, TiO2 4-6 wt%) closer to the Afar triple junction has been considered a record of magmas generated from the flanks to the centre of a plume head, currently corresponding to the Afar hotspot (Beccaluva et al., 2009). In the central-eastern part of the plateau (Lalibela area), neighbouring the Afar escarpment, abundant rhyolites characterize the upper part of the volcanic sequence and have been interpreted as the differentiated products of CFB magmas (Ayalew et al., 2006). The unusual association of picrite and rhyolite magmas erupted in an elongated area, parallel to the Afar escarpment, appears to be related to peculiar tectonomagmatic events developed in the apical zone of a stretched lithosphere impinged by a mantle plume. As previously suggested, the HT basaltic and picritic magmas could have been generated in the innermost part (core) of the plume head from the hottest, deepest and most metasomatised mantle domains, enriched by "plume components" (Beccaluva et al., 2009). The late stages of these magmatic events were accompanied by the onset of continental rifting, with faulting and block tilting, leading to favourable conditions for magma differentiation in shallow (crustal) chambers located N-S along the future Afar Escarpment. Quantitative petrological modelling shows that efficient fractional crystallization processes of HT transitional basaltic magmas could result in highly differentiated peralkaline rhyolitic products, generally localized at the top (lower density) of the magma reservoirs. From these latter, abundant rhyolitic magma were erupted (sometimes alternating to HT basalts and picrites) during the paroxystic extensional phases which ultimately led to continental break-up and the formation of the Red Sea-Gulf of Aden-East African rift system centred in the Afar "triple junction". References: Ayalew et al. (2006). Geol. Soc. London Sp. Pub. 259, 121-130. Beccaluva et al. (2009). J. Petrol. 50, 1377-1403. Hofmann et al. (1997). Nature 389, 838-841.

Upper-mantle origin of the Yellowstone hotspot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, R.L.; Foulger, G.R.; Evans, J.R.

2002-01-01

Fundamental features of the geology and tectonic setting of the northeast-propagating Yellowstone hotspot are not explained by a simple deep-mantle plume hypothesis and, within that framework, must be attributed to coincidence or be explained by auxiliary hypotheses. These features include the persistence of basaltic magmatism along the hotspot track, the origin of the hotspot during a regional middle Miocene tectonic reorganization, a similar and coeval zone of northwestward magmatic propagation, the occurrence of both zones of magmatic propagation along a first-order tectonic boundary, and control of the hotspot track by preexisting structures. Seismic imaging provides no evidence for, and several contraindications of, a vertically extensive plume-like structure beneath Yellowstone or a broad trailing plume head beneath the eastern Snake River Plain. The high helium isotope ratios observed at Yellowstone and other hotspots are commonly assumed to arise from the lower mantle, but upper-mantle processes can explain the observations. The available evidence thus renders an upper-mantle origin for the Yellowstone system the preferred model; there is no evidence that the system extends deeper than ???200 km, and some evidence that it does not. A model whereby the Yellowstone system reflects feedback between upper-mantle convection and regional lithospheric tectonics is able to explain the observations better than a deep-mantle plume hypothesis.

Bear-inflicted injuries - a report from Nepal.

PubMed

Atreya, Alok; Kanchan, Tanuj; Nepal, Samata; Acharya, Jenash

2016-06-01

Upper Mustang in the Northern Himalayan range of Nepal is the home of brown bears (Ursusarctos). Low-plant biomass as a result of scanty rainfall in Upper Mustang is a reason for habitat overlap of humans and wild animals. Humans who enter into the wild to collect firewood and graze cattle are liable to wild animal attacks. Such attacks, especially by brown bears, are readily identified by the type of injuries. These are more commonly confined to head and neck regions. Cutting, gnawing and tearing by sharp teeth and claws produces specific pattern of injuries, which are devastating but seldom fatal. This article reports a rare case of brown bear injury inflicted upon a man from the Upper Mustang region in Nepal. © The Author(s) 2016.

Lunar Mare Basalts as Analogues for Martian Volcanic Compositions: Evidence from Visible, Near-IR, and Thermal Emission Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, T. G.; Morris, R. V.; Christensen, P. R.

2003-01-01

The lunar mare basalts potentially provide a unique sample suite for understanding the nature of basalts on the martian surface. Our current knowledge of the mineralogical and chemical composition of the basaltic material on Mars comes from studies of the basaltic martian meteorites and from orbital and surface remote sensing observations. Petrographic observations of basaltic martian meteorites (e.g., Shergotty, Zagami, and EETA79001) show that the dominant phases are pyroxene (primarily pigeonite and augite), maskelynite (a diaplectic glass formed from plagioclase by shock), and olivine [1,2]. Pigeonite, a low calcium pyroxene, is generally not found in abundance in terrestrial basalts, but does often occur on the Moon [3]. Lunar samples thus provide a means to examine a variety of pigeonite-rich basalts that also have bulk elemental compositions (particularly low-Ti Apollo 15 mare basalts) that are comparable to basaltic SNC meteorites [4,5]. Furthermore, lunar basalts may be mineralogically better suited as analogues of the martian surface basalts than the basaltic martian meteorites because the plagioclase feldspar in the basaltic Martian meteorites, but not in the lunar surface basalts, is largely present as maskelynite [1,2]. Analysis of lunar mare basalts my also lead to additional endmember spectra for spectral libraries. This is particularly important analysis of martian thermal emission spectra, because the spectral library apparently contains a single pigeonite spectrum derived from a synthetic sample [6].

Pore-Water Quality in the Clay-Silt Confining Units of the Lower Miocene Kirkwood Formation and Hypothetical Effects on Water Quality in the Atlantic City 800-Foot Sand, Northeastern Cape May County, New Jersey, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Szabo, Zoltan; Keller, Elizabeth A.; Defawe, Rose M.

2006-01-01

Pore water was extracted from clay-silt core samples collected from a borehole at Ocean View, west of Sea Isle City, in northeastern Cape May County, New Jersey. The borehole intersects the lower Miocene Kirkwood Formation, which includes a thick sand and gravel unit between two clay-silt units. The sand and gravel unit forms a major confined aquifer in the region, known as the Atlantic City 800-foot sand, the major source of potable water along the Atlantic Coast of southern New Jersey. The pore water from the core is of interest because the borehole intersects the aquifer in an area where the ground water is sodium-rich and sulfidic. Locally in the aquifer in central and southern Cape May County, sodium concentrations are near the New Jersey secondary drinking-water standard of 50 mg/L (milligrams per liter), and typically are greater than 30 mg/L, but chloride and sulfate do not approach their respective secondary drinking-water standards except in southernmost Cape May County. Pore waters from the confining units are suspected to be a source of sodium, sulfur, and chloride to the aquifer. Constituent concentrations in filtered pore-water samples were determined using the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analytical technique to facilitate the determination of low-level concentrations of many trace constituents. Calcium-sodium-sulfate-bicarbonate, calcium-chloride-sulfate, calcium-sulfate, and sodium-sulfate-chloride-bicarbonate type waters characterize samples from the deepest part of the confining unit directly overlying the aquifer (termed the 'lower' confining unit). A sodium-chloride-sulfate type water is dominant in the composite confining unit below the aquifer. Sodium, chloride, and sulfate became increasingly dominant with depth. Pore water from the deepest sample recovered (1,390 ft (feet) below land surface) was brackish, with concentrations of sodium, chloride, and sulfate of 5,930, 8,400, and 5,070 mg/L, respectively. Pore-water samples from 900 ft or less below land surface, although mineralized, were fresh, not brackish. Sodium concentrations ranged from 51.3 to 513 mg/L, with the maximum concentration found at 882 ft below land surface in the composite confining unit below the aquifer. Chloride concentrations ranged from 46.4 to 757 mg/L, with the maximum concentration found at 596 ft below land surface in the 'lower' confining unit, and were higher than those in pore water from the same units at Atlantic City, N.J. Concentrations of chloride in the composite confining unit below the aquifer were consistently greater than 250 mg/L, indicating that the confining unit can be a source of chloride at depth. Of the major anions, sulfate was the constituent whose concentration varied most, ranging from 42 to 799 mg/L. The maximum concentration was found at 406 ft below land surface, in the upper part of the confining unit overlying the aquifer and the Rio Grande water-bearing zone (termed the 'upper' confining unit). Sulfide was not detected in any pore-water sample despite the presence of abundant quantities of sulfate and sulfide in the aquifer. The absence of sulfide in the pore waters is consistent with the hypothesis that sulfate is reduced in the aquifer. The presence of arsenic, at concentrations ranging from 0.0062 to 0.0374 mg/L, is consistent with the absence of sulfide and the possible presence of iron in the pore water.

Potentially exploitable supercritical geothermal resources in the ductile crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watanabe, Noriaki; Numakura, Tatsuya; Sakaguchi, Kiyotoshi; Saishu, Hanae; Okamoto, Atsushi; Ingebritsen, Steven E.; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi

2017-01-01

The hypothesis that the brittle–ductile transition (BDT) drastically reduces permeability implies that potentially exploitable geothermal resources (permeability >10−16 m2) consisting of supercritical water could occur only in rocks with unusually high transition temperatures such as basalt. However, tensile fracturing is possible even in ductile rocks, and some permeability–depth relations proposed for the continental crust show no drastic permeability reduction at the BDT. Here we present experimental results suggesting that the BDT is not the first-order control on rock permeability, and that potentially exploitable resources may occur in rocks with much lower BDT temperatures, such as the granitic rocks that comprise the bulk of the continental crust. We find that permeability behaviour for fractured granite samples at 350–500 °C under effective confining stress is characterized by a transition from a weakly stress-dependent and reversible behaviour to a strongly stress-dependent and irreversible behaviour at a specific, temperature-dependent effective confining stress level. This transition is induced by onset of plastic normal deformation of the fracture surface (elastic–plastic transition) and, importantly, causes no ‘jump’ in the permeability. Empirical equations for this permeability behaviour suggest that potentially exploitable resources exceeding 450 °C may form at depths of 2–6 km even in the nominally ductile crust.

Chloride Concentration in Water from the Upper Permeable Zone of the Tertiary Limestone Aquifer System, Southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sprinkle, Craig L.

1982-01-01

INTRODUCTION The tertiary limestone aquifer system of the southeastern United States is a sequence of carbonate rocks referred to as the Floridan aquifer in Florida and the principal artesian aquifer in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. More than 3 billion gallons of water are pumped daily from the limestone aquifer; and the system is the principal source of municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supply in south Georgia and most of Florida. The aquifer system includes units of Paleocene to early Miocene age that combine to form a continuous carbonate sequence that is hydraulically connected in varying degrees. In a small area near Brunswick, Ga., a thin sequence of rocks of Late Cretaceous age is part of the system. In and directly downdip from much of the outcrop area, the system consists of one continuous permeable unit. Further downdip the aquifer system generally consists of two major permeable zones separated by a less-permeable unit of highly variable hydraulic properties (very leaky to virtually nonleaky). Conditions for the system vary from unconfined to confined depending upon whether the argillaceous Miocene and younger rocks that form the upper confining unit have been removed by erosion. This report is one of a series of preliminary products depicting the hydrogeologic framework, water chemistry, and hydrology of the aquifer system. The map shows the distribution of chloride ions in water from the upper permeable zone of the limestone aquifer system. The upper permeable zone consists of several formations, primarily the Tampa, Suwannee, Ocala, and Avon Park Limestones (Miller 1981a, b). Chloride concentrations of water within the upper permeable zone vary from nearly zero in recharge areas to many thousands of milligrams per liter (mg/L) in coastal discharge areas. Where the aquifer system discharges into the sea, the upper permeable zone contains increasing amounts of seawater. In these areas, wells that fully penetrate the upper permeable zone will yield water with chloride concentrations that approach that of seawater, about 19500 mg/L.

Lead and strontium isotopic evidence for crustal interaction and compositional zonation in the source regions of Pleistocene basaltic and rhyolitic magmas of the Coso volcanic field, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, C.R.; Kurasawa, H.; Delevaux, M.H.; Kistler, R.W.; Doe, B.R.

1984-01-01

The isotopic compositions of Pb and Sr in Pleistocene basalt, high-silica rhyolite, and andesitic inclusions in rhyolite of the Coso volcanic field indicate that these rocks were derived from different levels of compositionally zoned magmatic systems. The 2 earliest rhyolites probably were tapped from short-lived silicic reservoirs, in contrast to the other 36 rhyolite domes and lava flows which the isotopic data suggest may have been leaked from the top of a single, long-lived magmatic system. Most Coso basalts show isotopic, geochemical, and mineralogic evidence of interaction with crustal rocks, but one analyzed flow has isotopic ratios that may represent mantle values (87Sr/86Sr=0.7036,206Pb/204Pb=19.05,207Pb/204Pb=15.62,208Pb/204Pb= 38.63). The (initial) isotopic composition of typical rhyolite (87Sr/86Sr=0.7053,206Pb/204Pb=19.29,207Pb/204Pb= 15.68,208Pb/204Pb=39.00) is representative of the middle or upper crust. Andesitic inclusions in the rhyolites are evidently samples of hybrid magmas from the silicic/mafic interface in vertically zoned magma reservoirs. Silicic end-member compositions inferred for these mixed magmas, however, are not those of erupted rhyolite but reflect the zonation within the silicic part of the magma reservoir. The compositional contrast at the interface between mafic and silicic parts of these systems apparently was greater for the earlier, smaller reservoirs. ?? 1984 Springer-Verlag.

Sub-basaltic Imaging of Ethiopian Mesozoic Sediments Using Surface Wave Dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mammo, T.; Maguire, P.; Denton, P.; Cornwell, D.

2003-12-01

The Ethiopia Afar Geoscientific Lithospheric Experiment (EAGLE) involved the deployment of a 400km NW-SE cross-rift profile across the Main Ethiopian Rift. The profile extended to about 150km on either side of the rift over the uplifted Ethiopian plateau characterized by voluminous Tertiary flood basalts covering a thick sequence of Mesozoic sediments. These consist of three major stratigraphic units, the Cretaceous Upper Sandstone (medium grained, friable and moderately to well-sorted) overlying the Jurassic Antalo limestone (with intercalations of marl, shale, mudstone and gypsum) above the Triassic Adigrat sandstone. These sediments are suggested to be approximately 1.5km thick at the north-western end of the profile, thickening to the south-east. They are considered a possible hydrocarbon reservoir and therefore crucial to the economy of Ethiopia. The EAGLE cross-rift profile included the deployment of 97 Guralp 6TD seismometers (30sec - 80Hz bandwidth) at a nominal 5km spacing. A 5.75 tonne explosion from the Muger quarry detonated specifically for the EAGLE project generated the surface waves used in this study. Preliminary processing involving the multiple filter technique has enabled the production of group velocity dispersion curves. These curves have been inverted to provide 1-D shear wave models, with the intention of providing an in-line cross-rift profile of Mesozoic sediment thickness. Preliminary results suggest that the sediments can be distinguished from both overlying plateau basalt and underlying basement, with their internal S-wave velocity structure possibly indicating that the three sediment units described above can be separately identified.

Soil grain analyses at Meridiani Planum, Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weitz, C.M.; Anderson, R.C.; Bell, J.F.; Farrand, W. H.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Johnson, J. R.; Jolliff, B.L.; Morris, R.V.; Squyres, S. W.; Sullivan, R.J.

2006-01-01

Grain-size analyses of the soils at Meridiani Planum have been used to identify rock souces for the grains and provide information about depositional processes under past and current conditions. Basaltic sand, dust, millimeter-size hematite-rich spherules interpreted as concretions, spherule fragments, coated partially buried spherules, basalt fragments, sedimentary outcrop fragments, and centimeter-size cobbles are concentrated on the upper surfaces of the soils as a lag deposit, while finer basaltic sands and dust dominate the underlying soils. There is a bimodal distribution of soil grain sizes with one population representing grains <125 ??m and the other falling between 1-4.5 mm. Soils within craters like Eagle and Endurance show a much greater diversity of grain morphologies compared to the plains. The spherules found in the plains soils are approximately 1-2 mm smaller in size than those seen embedded in the outcrop rocks of Eagle and Endurance craters. The average major axis for all unfractured spherules measured in the soils and outcrop rocks is 2.87 ?? 1.18 mm, with a trend toward decreasing spherule sizes in both the soils and outcrop rocks as the rover drove southward. Wind ripples seen across the plains of Meridiani are dominated by similar size (1.3-1.7 mm) hematite-rich grains, and they match in size the larger grains on plains ripples at Gusev Crater. Larger clasts and centimeter-size cobbles that are scattered on the soils have several spectral and compositional types, reflecting multiple origins. The cobbles tend to concentrate within ripple troughs along the plains and in association with outcrop exposures. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

The Use of Basalt, Basalt Fibers and Modified Graphite for Nuclear Waste Repository - 12150

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

Gulik, V.I.; Biland, A.B.

2012-07-01

New materials enhancing the isolation of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel are continuously being developed.. Our research suggests that basalt-based materials, including basalt roving chopped basalt fiber strands, basalt composite rebar and materials based on modified graphite, could be used for enhancing radioactive waste isolation during the storage and disposal phases and maintaining it during a significant portion of the post-closure phase. The basalt vitrification process of nuclear waste is a viable alternative to glass vitrification. Basalt roving, chopped basalt fiber strands and basalt composite rebars can significantly increase the strength and safety characteristics of nuclear waste and spentmore » nuclear fuel storages. Materials based on MG are optimal waterproofing materials for nuclear waste containers. (authors)« less

Lu-Hf constraints on the evolution of lunar basalts

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

Fujimaki, H.; Tatsumoto, M.

1984-02-15

Very low Ti basalts andd green glass samples from the moon show high Lu/Hf ratios and low Hf concentrations. Low-Ti lunar basalts show high and variable Lu/Hf ratios and higher Hf concentrations, whereas high-Ti lunar basalts show low Lu/Hf ratios and high Hf concentrations. KREEP basalts have constant Lu/Hf ratios and high but variable Hf concentrations. Using the Lu-Hf behavior as a constraint, we propose a model for the mare basalts evolution. This constraint requires extensive crystallization of the primary lunar magma ocean prior to formation of the lunar mare basalt sources and the KREEP basalts. Mare basalts are producedmore » by the melting of the cumulate rocks, and KREEP basalts represent the residual liquid of the magma ocean.« less

Distribution and stratigraphy of basaltic units in Maria Tranquillitatis and Fecunditatis: A Clementine perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rajmon, D.; Spudis, P.

2004-01-01

Maria Tranquillitatis and Fecunditatis have been mapped based on Clementine image mosaics and derived iron and titanium maps. Impact craters served as stratigraphic probes enabling better delineation of compositionally different basaltic units, determining the distribution of subsurface basalts, and providing estimates of total basalt thickness and the thickness of the surface units. Collected data indicate that volcanism in these maria started with the eruption of low-Ti basalts and evolved toward medium- and high-Ti basalts. Some of the high-Ti basalts in Mare Tranquillitatis began erupting early and were contemporaneous with the low- and medium-Ti basalts; these units form the oldest units exposed on the mare surface. Mare Tranquillitatis is mostly covered with high- Ti basalts. In Mare Fecunditatis, the volume of erupting basalts clearly decreased as the Ti content increased, and the high-Ti basalts occur as a few patches on the mare surface. The basalt in both maria is on the order of several hundred meters thick and locally may be as thick as 1600 m. The new basalt thickness estimates generally fall within the range set by earlier studies, although locally differ. The medium- to high-Ti basalts exposed at the surfaces of both maria are meters to tens of meters thick.

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers based on resonant phonon scattering for depopulation.

PubMed

Hu, Qing; Williams, Benjamin S; Kumar, Sushil; Callebaut, Hans; Reno, John L

2004-02-15

We report our development of terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), in which the depopulation of the lower radiative level is achieved through resonant longitudinal optical (LO) phonon scattering. This depopulation mechanism, similar to that implemented in all the QCLs operating at mid-infrared frequencies, is robust at high temperatures and high injection levels. The unique feature of resonant LO-phonon scattering in our THz QCL structures allows a highly selective depopulation of the lower radiative level with a sub-picosecond lifetime, while maintaining a relatively long upper level lifetime (more than 5 ps) that is due to upper-to-ground-state scattering. The first QCL based on this mechanism achieved lasing at 3.4 THz (lambda approximately 87 microm) up to 87 K for pulsed operations, with peak power levels exceeding 10 mW at ca. 40 K. Using a novel double-sided metal waveguide for mode confinement, which yields a unity mode confinement factor and therefore a low total cavity loss at THz frequencies, we have also achieved lasing at wavelengths longer than 100 microm.

Folded fabric tunes rock deformation and failure mode in the upper crust.

PubMed

Agliardi, F; Dobbs, M R; Zanchetta, S; Vinciguerra, S

2017-11-10

The micro-mechanisms of brittle failure affect the bulk mechanical behaviour and permeability of crustal rocks. In low-porosity crystalline rocks, these mechanisms are related to mineralogy and fabric anisotropy, while confining pressure, temperature and strain rates regulate the transition from brittle to ductile behaviour. However, the effects of folded anisotropic fabrics, widespread in orogenic settings, on the mechanical behaviour of crustal rocks are largely unknown. Here we explore the deformation and failure behaviour of a representative folded gneiss, by combining the results of triaxial deformation experiments carried out while monitoring microseismicity with microstructural and damage proxies analyses. We show that folded crystalline rocks in upper crustal conditions exhibit dramatic strength heterogeneity and contrasting failure modes at identical confining pressure and room temperature, depending on the geometrical relationships between stress and two different anisotropies associated to the folded rock fabric. These anisotropies modulate the competition among quartz- and mica-dominated microscopic damage processes, resulting in transitional brittle to semi-brittle modes under P and T much lower than expected. This has significant implications on scales relevant to seismicity, energy resources, engineering applications and geohazards.

Mantle transition zone structure beneath the Canadian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, D. A.; Helffrich, G. R.; Bastow, I. D.; Kendall, J. M.; Wookey, J.; Eaton, D. W.; Snyder, D. B.

2010-12-01

The Canadian Shield is underlain by one of the deepest and most laterally extensive continental roots on the planet. Seismological constraints on the mantle structure beneath the region are presently lacking due to the paucity of stations in this remote area. Presented here is a receiver function study on transition zone structure using data from recently deployed seismic networks from the Hudson Bay region. High resolution images based on high signal-to-noise ratio data show clear arrivals from the 410 km and 660 km discontinuities, revealing remarkably little variation in transition zone structure. Transition zone thickness is close to the global average (averaging 245 km across the study area), and any deviations in Pds arrival time from reference Earth models can be readily explained by upper-mantle velocity structure. The 520 km discontinuity is not a ubiquitous feature, and is only weakly observed in localised areas. These results imply that the Laurentian root is likely confined to the upper-mantle and if any mantle downwelling exists, possibly explaining the existence of Hudson Bay, it is also confined to the upper 400 km. Any thermal perturbations at transition zone depths associated with the existence of the root, whether they be cold downwellings or elevated temperatures due to the insulating effect of the root, are thus either non-existent or below the resolution of the study.

Allogenic controls on the fluvial architecture and fossil preservation of the Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation, NW Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombi, Carina E.; Limarino, Carlos O.; Alcober, Oscar A.

2017-12-01

The Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation in NW Argentina was deposited in a fluvial system during the synrift filling of the extensional Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin. The expansive exposures of the fluvial architecture and paleosols provide a framework to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental evolution of this basin during the Upper Triassic using continental sequence stratigraphy. The Ischigualasto Formation deposition can be divided into seven sequential sedimentary stages: the 1) Bypass stage; 2) Confined low-accommodation stage; 3) Confined high accommodation stage; 4) Unstable-accommodation stage; 5) Unconfined high-accommodation stage; 6) Unconfined low-accommodation stage; and finally, 7) Unconfined high-accommodation stage. The sedimentary evolution of the Ischigualasto Formation was driven by different allogenic controls such as rises and falls in lake levels, local tectonism, subsidence, volcanism, and climate, which also produced modifications of the equilibrium profile of the fluvial systems. All of these factors result in different accommodations in central and flank areas of the basin, which led to different architectural configurations of channels and floodplains. Allogenic processes affected not only the sequence stratigraphy of the basin but also the vertebrate and plant taphocenosis. Therefore, the sequence stratigraphy can be used not only as a predictive tool related to fossil occurrence but also to understand the taphonomic history of the basin at each temporal interval.

Surface-Water and Groundwater Interactions along the Withlacoochee River, West-Central Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trommer, J.T.; Yobbi, D.K.; McBride, W.S.

2009-01-01

A study of the Withlacoochee River watershed in west-central Florida was conducted from October 2003 to March 2007 to gain a better understanding of the hydrology and surface-water and groundwater interactions along the river. The Withlacoochee River originates in the Green Swamp area in north-central Polk County and flows northerly through seven counties, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. This study includes only the part of the watershed located between the headwaters in the Green Swamp and the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station near Holder, Florida. The Withlacoochee River within the study area is about 108 miles long and drains about 1,820 square miles. The Withlacoochee River watershed is underlain by thick sequences of carbonate rock that are covered by thin surficial deposits of unconsolidated sand and sandy clay. The clay layer is breached in many places because of the karst nature of the underlying limestone, and the degree of confinement between the Upper Florida aquifer and the surficial aquifer is highly variable throughout the watershed. The potential for movement of water from the surface or shallow deposits to deeper deposits, or from deeper deposits to the shallow deposits, exists throughout the Withlacoochee River watershed. Water levels were higher in deeper Upper Floridan aquifer wells than in shallow Upper Floridan aquifer wells or surficial aquifer wells at 11 of 19 paired or nested well sites, indicating potential for discharge to the surface-water system. Water levels were higher in shallow Upper Floridan aquifer or surficial aquifer wells than in deeper Upper Floridan aquifer wells at five other sites, indicating potential for recharge to the deeper Upper Floridan aquifer. Water levels in the surficial aquifer and Upper Floridan aquifer wells at the remaining three sites were virtually the same, indicating little or no confinement at the sites. Potentiometric-surface maps of the Upper Floridan aquifer indicate the pattern of groundwater flow in the aquifer did not vary greatly from season to season during the study. Potentiometric contours indicate groundwater discharge to the river in the vicinity of Dade City and Lake Panasoffkee. During dry periods, groundwater from the underlying Upper Floridan aquifer contributed to the flow in the river. During wet periods, streamflow had additional contributions from runoff and input from tributaries. Groundwater has a greater effect on streamflow downstream from the Dade City station than upstream from the Dade City station because confinement between surficial deposits and the Upper Floridan aquifer is greater in the Green Swamp area than in downstream areas. Estimates of streamflow gains and losses were made along the Withlacoochee River during base-flow conditions in May 2004, April 2005, and April 2006. Base flow was higher in April 2005 than in May 2004 and April 2006. Consistent net seepage gains were identified in 16 of 20 subreaches analyzed during all seepage runs. The direction of exchange was variable in the remaining four subreaches. Low specific conductance, pH, and calcium concentrations in water from the Withlacoochee River near the headwater area indicated a surface-water system not directly connected to the Upper Floridan aquifer. Downstream from the Dade City station, higher specific conductance, pH, and calcium concentrations in the river water indicated an increasing influence of groundwater, and were similar to groundwater during low-flow conditions. Strontium isotope ratios indicate groundwater originates from shallow parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the upper reaches of the river, and from increasingly deeper parts of the aquifer in the downstream direction. Mean annual base-flow estimates also indicate increasing groundwater discharge to the river in the downstream direction. Mean annual base flow estimated using standard hydrograph separation method assumptions ranged from about 4.7 to 5.1 inches per year

Finite-frequency wave propagation through outer rise fault zones and seismic measurements of upper mantle hydration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Nathaniel; Lizarralde, Daniel

2016-01-01

Effects of serpentine-filled fault zones on seismic wave propagation in the upper mantle at the outer rise of subduction zones are evaluated using acoustic wave propagation models. Modeled wave speeds depend on azimuth, with slowest speeds in the fault-normal direction. Propagation is fastest along faults, but, for fault widths on the order of the seismic wavelength, apparent wave speeds in this direction depend on frequency. For the 5–12 Hz Pn arrivals used in tomographic studies, joint-parallel wavefronts are slowed by joints. This delay can account for the slowing seen in tomographic images of the outer rise upper mantle. At the Middle America Trench, confining serpentine to fault zones, as opposed to a uniform distribution, reduces estimates of bulk upper mantle hydration from ~3.5 wt % to as low as 0.33 wt % H2O.

Apollo 17 KREEPy basalts - Evidence for nonuniformity of KREEP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salpas, Peter A.; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Lindstrom, Marilyn M.

1987-01-01

Breccia 72275 contains pristine KREEPy basalt clasts that are not found among other samples collected at Apollo 17. These basalts occur as discrete clasts and as clasts enclosed within basaltic microbreccias. Mineral and whole-rock chemical analyses reveal that the microbreccias are compositionally indistinguishable from the basalt clasts. Samples of the 72275 matrix also have the same compositions as the basalts and the basaltic microbreccias. 72275 was assembled in situ from a single flow or series of closely related flows of Apollo 17 KREEPy basalt before it was transported to the Apollo 17 site. As a rock type, Apollo 17 KREEPy basalts are distinct from Apollo 15 KREEP basalts. The Apollo 17 samples have lower REE concentrations, steeper negative slopes of the HREE, and are less magnesian than the Apollo 15 samples. The two basalt types cannot be related by fractional crystallization, partial melting, or assimilation. This is evidence for the compositional nonuniformity of KREEP as a function of geography.

Circulation in the Chesapeake Bay entrance region: Estuary-shelf interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boicourt, W. C.

1981-01-01

Current meters and temperature-salinity recorders confirm the assumption that the upper layers of the continental shelf waters off Chesapeake Bay can be banded in summer, such that the coastal boundary layer (consisting of the Bay outflow) and the outer shelf flow southward while the inner shelf flows to the north, driven by the prevailing southerly winds. These measurements show that the estuary itself may also be banded in its lower reaches such that the inflow is confined primarily to the deep channel, while the upper layer outflow is split into two flow maxima on either side of this channel.

Geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vibhava, F.; Graham, W. D.; Maxwell, R. M.

2012-12-01

Streamflow at any given location and time is representative of surface and subsurface contributions from various sources. The ability to fully identify the factors controlling these contributions is key to successfully understanding the transport of contaminants through the system. In this study we developed a fully integrated 3D surface water-groundwater-land surface model, PARFLOW, to evaluate geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin in North Central Florida. In addition to traditional model evaluation criterion, such as comparing field observations to model simulated streamflow and groundwater elevations, we quantitatively evaluated the model's predictions of surface-groundwater interactions over space and time using a suite of binary end-member mixing models that were developed using observed specific conductivity differences among surface and groundwater sources throughout the domain. Analysis of model predictions showed that geologic heterogeneity exerts a strong control on both streamflow generation processes and land atmospheric fluxes in this watershed. In the upper basin, where the karst aquifer is overlain by a thick confining layer, approximately 92% of streamflow is "young" event flow, produced by near stream rainfall. Throughout the upper basin the confining layer produces a persistent high surficial water table which results in high evapotranspiration, low groundwater recharge and thus negligible "inter-event" streamflow. In the lower basin, where the karst aquifer is unconfined, deeper water tables result in less evapotranspiration. Thus, over 80% of the streamflow is "old" subsurface flow produced by diffuse infiltration through the epikarst throughout the lower basin, and all surface contributions to streamflow originate in the upper confined basin. Climatic variability provides a secondary control on surface-subsurface and land-atmosphere fluxes, producing significant seasonal and interannual variability in these processes. Spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge and streamflow generation processes reveal potential hot spots and hot moments for surface and groundwater contamination in this basin.

Constraints from Earth's heat budget on mantle dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, L. H.; Ferrachat, S.

2006-12-01

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of proposed models to explain Earth's mantle dynamics: while two end-members, pure layered convection with the upper and lower mantle convecting separately from each other, and pure, whole mantle convection, appear not to satisfy all the observations, several addition models have been proposed. These models include and attempt to characterize least one reservoir that is enriched in radiogenic elements relative to the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) source, as is required to account for most current estimates of the Earth's heat budget. This reservoir would also be responsible for the geochemical signature in some ocean island basalts (OIBs) like Hawaii, but must be rarely sampled at the surface. Our current knowledge of the mass- and heat-budget for the bulk silicate Earth from geochemical, cosmochemical and geodynamical observations and constraints enables us to quantify the radiogenic heat enrichment required to balance the heat budget. Without assuming any particular model for the structure of the reservoir, we first determine the inherent trade-off between heat production rate and mass of the reservoir. Using these constraints, we then investigate the dynamical inferences of the heat budget, assuming that the additional heat is produced within a deep layer above the core-mantle boundary. We carry out dynamical models of layered convection using four different fixed reservoir volumes, corresponding to deep layers of thicknesses 150, 500 1000 and 1600 km, respectively, and including both temperature-dependent viscosity and an instrinsic viscosity jump between upper and lower mantle. We then assess the viability of these cases against 5 criteria: stability of the deep layer through time, topography of the interface, effective density profile, intrinsic chemical density and the heat flux at the CMB.

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

Darling, W.G.; Griesshaber, E.; Andrews, J.N.

The Kenya Rift Valley (KRV) is part of a major continental rift system from which much outgassing is presently occurring. Previous research on gases in the KRV has tended to concentrate on their geothermal implications; the present paper is an attempt to broaden the interpretation by consideration of new data including helium and carbon isotope analyses from a wide cross-section of sites. In order to do this, gases have been divided into categories dependent on origin. N{sub 2} and noble gases are for the most part atmospherically derived, although their relative concentrations may be altered from ASW ratios by variousmore » physical processes. Reduced carbon (CH{sub 4} and homologues) appears to be exclusively derived from the shallow crust, with thermogenic {delta}{sup 13}C values averaging -25{per_thousand} PDB for CH{sub 4}. H{sub 2} is likely also to be crustally formed. CO{sub 2}, generally a dominant constituent, has a narrow {delta}{sup 13}C range averaging -3.7{per_thousand} PDB, and is likely to be derived with little modification from the upper mantle. Consideration of the ratio C/{sup 3}He supports this view in most cases. Sulphur probably also originates there. Ratios of {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He reach a MORB-like maximum of 8.0 R/R{sub A} and provide the best indication of an upper mantle source of gases beneath the KRV. A correlation between {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He and the hydrocarbon parameter log (C{sub 1}/{Sigma}C{sub 2-4}) appears to be primarily temperature related. The highest {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He ratios in spring waters are associated with basalts, perhaps because of the leaching of basalt glasses. There may be a structural control on {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He ratios in the KRV as a whole.« less

Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization: Constraints from Fractional Crystallization Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2015-01-01

The currently accepted paradigm of lunar formation is that of accretion from the ejecta of a giant impact, followed by crystallization of a global scale magma ocean. This model accounts for the formation of the anorthosite highlands crust, which is globally distributed and old, and the formation of the younger mare basalts which are derived from a source region that has experienced plagioclase extraction. Several attempts at modelling the crystallization of such a lunar magma ocean (LMO) have been made, but our ever-increasing knowledge of the lunar samples and surface have raised as many questions as these models have answered. Geodynamic models of lunar accretion suggest that shortly following accretion the bulk of the lunar mass was hot, likely at least above the solidus]. Models of LMO crystallization that assume a deep magma ocean are therefore geodynamically favorable, but they have been difficult to reconcile with a thick plagioclase-rich crust. A refractory element enriched bulk composition, a shallow magma ocean, or a combination of the two have been suggested as a way to produce enough plagioclase to account for the assumed thickness of the crust. Recently however, geophysical data from the GRAIL mission have indicated that the lunar anorthositic crust is not as thick as was initially estimated, which allows for both a deeper magma ocean and a bulk composition more similar to the terrestrial upper mantle. We report on experimental simulations of the fractional crystallization of a deep (approximately 100km) LMO with a terrestrial upper mantle-like (LPUM) bulk composition. Our experimental results will help to define the composition of the lunar crust and mantle cumulates, and allow us to consider important questions such as source regions of the mare basalts and Mg-suite, the role of mantle overturn after magma ocean crystallization and the nature of KREEP

High-pressure phase relation of KREEP basalts: A clue for finding the lost Hadean crust?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gréaux, Steeve; Nishi, Masayuki; Tateno, Shigehiko; Kuwayama, Yasuhiro; Hirao, Naohisa; Kawai, Kenji; Maruyama, Shigenori; Irifune, Tetsuo

2018-01-01

The phase relations, mineral chemistry and density of KREEP basalt were investigated at pressures of 12-125 GPa and temperatures up to 2810 K by a combination of large volume multi-anvil press experiments and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Our results showed that grossular-rich majorite garnet, liebermannite and Al-bearing stishovite are dominant in the upper-to-middle part of the upper mantle while in the lowermost transition zone a dense Ti-rich CaSiO3 perovskite exsoluted from the garnet, which becomes more pyropic with increasing pressure. At lower mantle conditions, these minerals transform into an assemblage of bridgmanite, Ca-perovskite, Al-stishovite, the new aluminium-rich (NAL) phase and the calcium-ferrite type (CF) phase. At pressures higher than 50 GPa, NAL phase completely dissolved into the CF phase, which becomes the main deposit of alkali metals in the lower mantle. The density of KREEP estimated from phase compositions obtained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopes, was found substantially denser than pyrolite suggesting that the Earth primordial crust likely subducted deep into the Earth's mantle after or slightly before the final solidification of magma ocean at 4.53 Ga. Radiogenic elements U, Th and 40K which were abundant in the final residue of magma ocean were brought down along the subduction of the primordial crust and generate heat by decay after the settlement of the primordial crust on top of the CMB, suggesting the non-homogeneous distribution of radiogenic elements in the Hadean mantle with implications for the thermal history of the Earth.

Geological Structures in the WaIls of Vestan Craters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David; Nathues, A.; Beck, A. W.; Hoffmann, M.; Schaefer, M.; Williams, D. A.

2014-01-01

A compelling case can be made that Vesta is the parent asteroid for the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites [1], although this interpretation has been questioned [2]. Generalized models for the structure of the crust of Vesta have been developed based on petrologic studies of basaltic eucrites, cumulate eucrites and diogenites. These models use inferred cooling rates for different types of HEDs and compositional variations within the clan to posit that the lower crust is dominantly diogenitic in character, cumulate eucrites occur deep in the upper crust, and basaltic eucrites dominate the higher levels of the upper crust [3-5]. These models lack fine-scale resolution and thus do not allow for detailed predictions of crustal structure. Geophysical models predict dike and sill intrusions ought to be present, but their widths may be quite small [6]. The northern hemisphere of Vesta is heavily cratered, and the southern hemisphere is dominated by two 400-500 km diameter basins that excavated deep into the crust [7-8]. Physical modeling of regolith formation on 300 km diameter asteroids predicts that debris layers would reach a few km in thickness, while on asteroids of Vesta's diameter regolith thicknesses would be less [9]. This agrees well with the estimated =1 km thickness of local debris excavated by a 45 km diameter vestan crater [10]. Large craters and basins may have punched through the regolith/megaregolith and exposed primary vestan crustal structures. We will use Dawn Framing Camera (FC) [11] images and color ratio maps from the High Altitude and Low Altitude Mapping Orbits (HAMO, 65 m/pixel; LAMO, 20 m/pixel) to evaluate structures exposed on the walls of craters: two examples are discussed here.

The origin of hydrothermal and other gases in the Kenya Rift Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, W. G.; Griesshaber, E.; Andrews, J. N.; Armannsson, H.; O'Nions, R. K.

1995-06-01

The Kenya Rift Valley (KRV) is part of a major continental rift system from which much outgassing is presently occurring. Previous research on gases in the KRV has tended to concentrate on their geothermal implications; the present paper is an attempt to broaden the interpretation by consideration of new data including helium and carbon isotope analyses from a wide cross-section of sites. In order to do this, gases have been divided into categories dependent on origin. N 2 and noble gases are for the most part atmospherically derived, although their relative concentrations may be altered from ASW ratios by various physical processes. Reduced carbon (CH 4 and homologues) appears to be exclusively derived from the shallow crust, with thermogenic δ 13C values averaging -25‰ PDB for CH 4. H 2 is likely also to be crustally formed. CO 2, generally a dominant constituent, has a narrow δ 13C range averaging -3.7‰ PDB, and is likely to be derived with little modification from the upper mantle. Consideration of the ratio C/ 3He supports this view in most cases. Sulphur probably also originates there. Ratios of 3He/ 4He reach a MORB-like maximum of 8.0 R/RA and provide the best indication of an upper mantle source of gases beneath the KRV. A correlation between 3He/ 4He and the hydrocarbon parameter log (C 1/ΣC 2-4) appears to be primarily temperature related. The highest 3He/ 4He ratios in spring waters are associated with basalts, perhaps because of the leaching of basalt glasses. There may be a structural control on 3He/ 4He ratios in the KRV as a whole.

The oxidation state of Fe in MORB glasses and the oxygen fugacity of the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottrell, Elizabeth; Kelley, Katherine A.

2011-05-01

Micro-analytical determination of Fe3+/∑Fe ratios in mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses using micro X-ray absorption near edge structure (μ-XANES) spectroscopy reveals a substantially more oxidized upper mantle than determined by previous studies. Here, we show that global MORBs yield average Fe3+/∑Fe ratios of 0.16 ± 0.01 (n = 103), which trace back to primary MORB melts equilibrated at the conditions of the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) buffer. Our results necessitate an upward revision of the Fe3+/∑Fe ratios of MORBs, mantle oxygen fugacity, and the ferric iron content of the mantle relative to previous wet chemical determinations. We show that only 0.01 (absolute, or < 10%) of the difference between Fe3+/∑Fe ratios determined by micro-colorimety and XANES can be attributed to the Mössbauer-based XANES calibration. The difference must instead derive from a bias between micro-colorimetry performed on experimental vs. natural basalts. Co-variations of Fe3+/∑Fe ratios in global MORB with indices of low-pressure fractional crystallization are consistent with Fe3+ behaving incompatibly in shallow MORB magma chambers. MORB Fe3+/∑Fe ratios do not, however, vary with indices of the extent of mantle melting (e.g., Na2O(8)) or water concentration. We offer two hypotheses to explain these observations: The bulk partition coefficient of Fe3+ may be higher during peridotite melting than previously thought, and may vary with temperature, or redox exchange between sulfide and sulfate species could buffer mantle melting at ~ QFM. Both explanations, in combination with the measured MORB Fe3+/∑Fe ratios, point to a fertile MORB source with greater than 0.3 wt.% Fe2O3.

Hydrogeologic framework and estimates of ground-water volumes in Tertiary and upper Cretaceous hydrogeologic units in the Powder River basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinaman, Kurt

2005-01-01

The Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana is an important source of energy resources for the United States. Coalbed methane gas is contained in Tertiary and upper Cretaceous hydrogeologic units in the Powder River Basin. This gas is released when water pressure in coalbeds is lowered, usually by pumping ground water. Issues related to disposal and uses of by-product water from coalbed methane production have developed, in part, due to uncertainties in hydrologic properties. One hydrologic property of primary interest is the amount of water contained in Tertiary and upper Cretaceous hydrogeologic units in the Powder River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, conducted a study to describe the hydrogeologic framework and to estimate ground-water volumes in different facies of Tertiary and upper Cretaceous hydrogeologic units in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. A geographic information system was used to compile and utilize hydrogeologic maps, to describe the hydrogeologic framework, and to estimate the volume of ground water in Tertiary and upper Cretaceous hydrogeologic units in the Powder River structural basin in Wyoming. Maps of the altitudes of potentiometric surfaces, altitudes of the tops and bottoms of hydrogeologic units, thicknesses of hydrogeologic units, percent sand of hydrogeologic units, and outcrop boundaries for the following hydrogeologic units were used: Tongue River-Wasatch aquifer, Lebo confining unit, Tullock aquifer, Upper Hell Creek confining unit, and the Fox Hills-Lower Hell Creek aquifer. Literature porosity values of 30 percent for sand and 35 percent for non-sand facies were used to calculate the volume of total ground water in each hydrogeologic unit. Literature specific yield values of 26 percent for sand and 10 percent for non-sand facies, and literature specific storage values of 0.0001 ft-1 (1/foot) for sand facies and 0.00001 ft-1 for non-sand facies, were used to calculate a second volume of ground water for each hydrogeologic unit. Significant figure considerations limited estimates of ground-water volumes to two significant digits. A total ground-water volume of 2.0x1014 ft3 (cubic feet) was calculated using porosity values, and a total ground-water volume of 3.6x1013 ft3 was calculated using specific yield and specific storage values. These results are consistent with retention properties, which would have some of the total water being retained in the sediments. Sensitivity analysis shows that the estimates of ground-water volume are most sensitive to porosity. The estimates also are sensitive to confined thickness and saturated thickness. Better spatial information for hydrogeologic units could help refine the ground-water volume estimates.

Microbial sulfate reduction and the sulfur budget for a complete section of altered oceanic basalts, IODP Hole 1256D (eastern Pacific)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alt, Jeffrey C.; Shanks, Wayne C.

2011-01-01

Sulfide mineralogy and the contents and isotope compositions of sulfur were analyzed in a complete oceanic volcanic section from IODP Hole 1256D in the eastern Pacific, in order to investigate the role of microbes and their effect on the sulfur budget in altered upper oceanic crust. Basalts in the 800m thick volcanic section are affected by a pervasive low-temperature background alteration and have mean sulfur contents of 530ppm, reflecting loss of sulfur relative to fresh glass through degassing during eruption and alteration by seawater. Alteration halos along fractures average 155ppm sulfur and are more oxidized, have high SO4/ΣS ratios (0.43), and lost sulfur through oxidation by seawater compared to host rocks. Although sulfur was lost locally, sulfur was subsequently gained through fixation of seawater-derived sulfur in secondary pyrite and marcasite in veins and in concentrations at the boundary between alteration halos and host rocks. Negative δ34Ssulfide-S values (down to -30 °) and low temperatures of alteration (down to ~40 °C) point to microbial reduction of seawater sulfate as the process resulting in local additions of sulfide-S. Mass balance calculations indicate that 15-20% of the sulfur in the volcanic section is microbially derived, with the bulk altered volcanic section containing 940ppm S, and with δ34S shifted to -6.0‰) from the mantle value (0 ‰). The bulk volcanic section may have gained or lost sulfur overall. The annual flux of microbial sulfur into oceanic basement based on Hole 1256D is 3-4 X1010molSyr-1, within an order of magnitude of the riverine sulfate source and the sedimentary pyrite sink. Results indicate a flux of bacterially derived sulfur that is fixed in upper ocean basement of 7-8 X 10-8molcm-2yr-1 over 15m.y. This is comparable to that in open ocean sediment sites, but is one to two orders of magnitude less than for ocean margin sediments. The global annual subduction of sulfur in altered oceanic basalt lavas based on Hole 1256D is 1.5-2.0 X 1011moly-1, comparable to the subduction of sulfide in sediments, and could contribute to sediment-like sulfur isotope heterogeneities in the mantle.

Deep Mantle Origin for the DUPAL Anomaly?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingle, S.; Weis, D.

2002-12-01

Twenty years after the discovery of the Dupal Anomaly, its origin remains a geochemical and geophysical enigma. This anomaly is associated with the Southern Hemisphere oceanic mantle and is recognized by basalts with geochemical characteristics such as low 206Pb/204Pb and high 87Sr/86Sr. Both mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and ocean island basalts (OIB) are affected, despite originating from melting at different depths and of different mantle sources. We compile geochemical data for both MORB and OIB from the three major oceans to help constrain the physical distribution and chemical composition of the Dupal Anomaly. There is a clear decrease in 206Pb/204Pb and an increase in 87Sr/86Sr with more southerly latitude for Indian MORB and OIB; these correlations are less obvious in the Atlantic and non-existent in the Pacific. The average* 143Nd/144Nd for Pacific and Atlantic OIB is 0.5129, but is lower for Indian OIB (0.5128). Interestingly, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian OIB all have 176Hf/177Hf averages of 0.2830. Indian MORB also record this phenomenon of low Nd with normal Hf isotopic compositions (Chauvel and Blichert-Toft, EPSL, 2001). Hf isotopes appear, therefore, to be a valid isotopic proxy for measuring the presence and magnitude of the Dupal Anomaly at specific locations. Wen (EPSL, 2001) reported a low-velocity layer at the D'' boundary beneath the Indian Ocean from which the Dupal Anomaly may originate. This hypothesis may be consistent with our compilations demonstrating that the long-lived Dupal Anomaly does not appear to be either mixing efficiently into the upper mantle or spreading to other ocean basins through time. We suggest that the Dupal source could be continually tapped by upwelling Indian Ocean mantle plumes. Plumes would then emplace pockets of Dupal material into the upper mantle and other ascending plumes might further disperse this material into the shallow asthenosphere. This could explain both the presence of the Dupal signature in MORB and OIB and the geochemical similarities between some Indian Ocean mantle plumes, such as Kerguelen, and the Dupal signature. * To avoid sampling biases, data for each ocean island (or group) are averaged and these values are used to calculate the average for each ocean.

Recycled oceanic crust in the source of 90-40 Ma basalts in North and Northeast China: Evidence, provenance and significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yi-Gang

2014-10-01

Major, trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data of basalts emplaced during 90-40 Ma in the North and Northeast China are compiled in this review, with aims of constraining their petrogenesis, and by inference the evolution of the North China Craton during the late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic. Three major components are identified in magma source, including depleted component I and II, and an enriched component. The depleted component I, which is characterized by relatively low 87Sr/86Sr (<0.7030), moderate 206Pb/204Pb (18.2), moderately high εNd (∼4), high Eu/Eu∗ (>1.1) and HIMU-like trace element characteristics, is most likely derived from gabbroic cumulate of the oceanic crust. The depleted component II, which distinguishes itself by its high εNd (∼8) and moderate 87Sr/86Sr (∼0.7038), is probably derived from a sub-lithospheric ambient mantle. The enriched component has low εNd (2-3), high 87Sr/86Sr (>0.7065), low 206Pb/204Pb (17), excess Sr, Rb, Ba and a deficiency of Zr and Hf relative to the REE. This component is likely from the basaltic portion of the oceanic crust, which is variably altered by seawater and contains minor sediments. Comparison with experimental melts and trace element modeling suggest that these recycled oceanic components may be in form of garnet pyroxenite/eclogite. These components are young (<0.5 Ga) and show an Indian-MORB isotopic character. Given the share of this isotopic affinity by the extinct Izanaghi-Pacific plate, currently stagnated within the mantle transition zone, we propose that it ultimately comes from the subducted Pacific slab. Eu/Eu∗ and 87Sr/86Sr of the 90-40 Ma magmas increases and decreases, respectively, with decreasing emplacement age, mirroring a change in magma source from upper to lower parts of subducted oceanic crust. Such secular trends are created by dynamic melting of a heterogeneous mantle containing recycled oceanic crust. Due to different melting temperature of the upper and lower ocean crust and progressive thinning of the lithosphere, the more fertile basaltic crustal component is preferentially sampled during the early stage of volcanism, whereas the more depleted gabbroic lower crust and lithospheric mantle components are preferentially sampled during a late stage. This model is consistent with a protracted destruction process of the lithosphere beneath eastern China. The presence of significant recycled oceanic crust components in the 90-40 Ma basalts highlights the influence of Pacific subduction on the deep processes in the North China Craton, which can be traced back at least to the late Cretaceous. This, along with the conjugation of crustal deformation pattern in this region with the movement of the Pacific plate, makes the Pacific subduction as a potential trigger of the destruction of the North China Craton. Geophysical investigations and morphological analyses indicate that decratonization is largely confined to east of the NSGL, whereas to west of NSGL, in particular the Ordos basin, characteristics typical of a craton are observed (Menzies et al., 2007; Zhu et al., 2011). This spatial pattern of craton destruction, together with NE-NNE-oriented extensional basins, main structural alignments and metamorphic core complexes (Zheng et al., 1978; Ye et al., 1987; Ren et al., 2002; Liu et al., 2006; Zhu G et al., 2012), is consistent with the subduction direction of the Pacific plate. Two main episodes of late Mesozoic magmatism have been identified in the Jurassic and the early Cretaceous. These correspond to the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the Eurasian content and to subsequent extensions, respectively (Wu et al., 2005, 2006). Global tomography studies indicate that the subducted Pacific oceanic slab has become stagnant within the mantle transition zone and extended subhorizontally westward beneath the East Asian continent (Fukao et al., 1992; Huang and Zhao, 2006; Chen and Ai, 2009; Van der Hilst and Li, 2010). The western end of this stagnant slab does not go beyond the NNE-trending NSGL (Huang and Zhao, 2006; Xu, 2007). Given the subduction of Pacific plate underneath eastern Asian continent, the slab-derived materials are expected to be involved in the sources of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmas in this region. Recent studies have shown the ubiquitous presence of subduction-related components in late Cenozoic basalts in eastern China (Zhang et al., 2009; Xu et al., 2012b; Sakuyama et al., 2013). However, it remains unclear whether similar recycled oceanic components are present in earlier basalts (i.e., those emplaced during 90-40 Ma, Fig. 1), for which high quality geochemical data are not available until very recently (Zhang et al., 2008; Kuang et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2012a). In addition, the provenance of recycled oceanic components, if any, is highly relevant to the proposal of the Pacific subduction as one of the possible triggers of the destruction of the NCC. The timing of the first appearance of oceanic components in magmas will provide constraints on the role of the Pacific subduction on the evolution of the NCC.The objective of this study is to review and compile major, trace elements and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of mafic magmas emplaced since 90 Ma in North and Northeastern China, and to use these data to elaborate their petrogenesis. We will demonstrate the ubiquitous involvement of subduction-related components in the magma sources. Furthermore, temporal variation in geochemical features suggests that different parts of the recycled oceanic crust are preferentially sampled at different time. In collaborating with melting solidus temperature and the melting column concept, this is interpreted as differential melting of upwelling heterogeneous mantle as a result of lithospheric thinning. The peculiar isotopic compositions of these oceanic crust components suggests a link with the subducted Pacific slab, which currently stagnates at the mantle transition zone beneath the eastern Asian continental margin (Fukao et al., 1992; Huang and Zhao, 2006). This study therefore provides petrological evidence for the effect of Pacific subduction on the studied region, rendering the Pacific subduction as a potential trigger of the destruction of the NCC.

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd chronology and genealogy of mare basalts from the Sea of Tranquility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papanastassiou, D. A.; Depaolo, D. J.; Wasserburg, G. J.

1977-01-01

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd ages of two Apollo 11 mare basalts, high-K basalt 10072 and low-K basalt 10062, are reported. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Ar-40-Ar-39 ages are in good agreement and indicate an extensive time interval for filling of the Sea of Tranquility, presumably by thin lava flows, in agreement with similar observations for the Ocean of Storms. Initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions on Apollo 11 basalts reveal at least two parent sources producing basalts. The Sm-Nd isotopic data demonstrate that low-K and high-Ti basalts from Apollo 11 and 17 derived from distinct reservoirs, while low-Ti Apollo 15 mare basalt sources have Sm/Nd similar to the sources of Apollo 11 basalts. Groupings of mare basalt based on Ti content and on isotopic data do not coincide.

Postglacial eruptive history and geochemistry of Semisopochnoi volcano, western Aleutian Islands, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coombs, Michelle L.; Larsen, Jessica F.; Neal, Christina A.

2018-02-14

Semisopochnoi Island, located in the Rat Islands group of the western Aleutian Islands and Aleutian volcanic arc, is a roughly circular island composed of scattered volcanic vents, the prominent caldera of Semisopochnoi volcano, and older, ancestral volcanic rocks. The oldest rocks on the island are gently radially dipping lavas that are the remnants of a shield volcano and of Ragged Top, which is an eroded stratocone southeast of the current caldera. None of these oldest rocks have been dated, but they all are likely Pleistocene in age. Anvil Peak, to the caldera’s north, has the morphology of a young stratocone and is latest Pleistocene to early Holocene in age. The oldest recognized Holocene deposits are those of the caldera-forming eruption, which produced the 7- by 6-km caldera in the center of the island, left nonwelded ignimbrite in valleys below the edifice, and left welded ignimbrite high on its flanks. The caldera-forming eruption produced rocks showing a range of intermediate whole-rock compositions throughout the eruption sequence, although a majority of clasts analyzed form a fairly tight cluster on SiO2-variation diagrams at 62.9 to 63.4 weight percent SiO2. This clustering of compositions at about 63 weight percent SiO2 includes black, dense, obsidian-like clasts, as well as tan, variably oxidized, highly inflated pumice clasts. The best estimate for the timing of the eruption is from a soil dated at 6,920±60 14C years before present underlying a thin facies of the ignimbrite deposit on the island’s north coast. Shortly after the caldera-forming eruption, two scoria cones on the northwest flank of the volcano outside the caldera, Ringworm crater and Threequarter Cone, simultaneously erupted small volumes of andesite.The oldest intracaldera lavas, on the floor of the caldera, are andesitic to dacitic, but are mostly covered by younger lavas and tephras. These intracaldera lavas include the basaltic andesites of small Windy cone, as well as the more voluminous basaltic andesites of three-peaked Mount Cerberus, which takes up most of the west half of the caldera and has erupted lavas that flowed to the sea on the southwestern coast of the island. Apparently active at the same time as Mount Cerberus, extracaldera Sugarloaf Peak at the southern point of the island has exclusively erupted basalts. Its young satellite peak, Sugarloaf Head, has erupted morphologically young lavas and cinder cones and may be the source of the last historical eruption in 1987. Several tephra sections on the east half of the island record as many as 50 tephras, mostly from Mount Cerberus, Sugarloaf Peak, and Sugarloaf Head, over the past several thousand years.Eruptive products of Semisopochnoi Island show an overall compositional range of basalt to dacite, though basaltic andesite and andesite constitute the largest proportions of rock types. They are tholeiitic, low to medium K, and have geochemical characteristics typical of magmatic arcs. The earliest Pleistocene lavas are mostly basalts that show the greatest geochemical diversity, as illustrated by, for example, LaN/YbN ratios of 1.9 to 3.5, suggesting fluctuations in the magma source region over the hundreds of thousands of years recorded by these older lavas. The Holocene rocks, in contrast, follow arrays in compositional space that suggest crystallization differentiation from discrete, subtly different batches of magma under varying pressure and temperature conditions. Increasingly negative Eu anomalies and an only modestly increasing alumina saturation index value with differentiation suggest that plagioclase and mafic silicates (amphibole and pyroxene) were involved to varying degrees in fractional crystallization to produce Semisopochnoi’s magmatic diversity. The crystal-poor, andesitic magmas that erupted during caldera formation likely separated from a plagioclase-, amphibole-, and clinopyroxene-dominated crystal residue in the upper crust at less than 900 °C, possibly following a period of decreased magmatic flux. During the Holocene, basaltic Sugarloaf Peak appears to bypass any upper crustal magmatic storage region and erupt crystal-rich basalts. Recent seismic swarms and long-lived warm springs attest to ongoing magmatic activity.The Holocene eruptive record at Semisopochnoi volcano is one of diverse eruptive styles as well as frequent eruptions from multiple vents located within and outside the caldera. The number and diversity of postcaldera vents means that the sites of future eruptions cannot be predicted with certainty. Future eruptions of ash similar in magnitude to the VEI 3 or less eruptions recorded in the documented tephra deposits would pose a hazard to aircraft in the region.

Chemical, mineralogical and textural systematics of non-mare melt rocks: Implications for lunar impact and volcanic processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irving, A. J.

1975-01-01

Based on a synthesis of chemical data for over 200 samples, the nonmare rocks with fine grained melt textures can be classified into 7 major groups: anorthositic basalts, troctolitic basalts, VHA basalts, Apollo 14-type KREEP basalts, Apollo 15-type KREEP basalts, Apollo 17-type KREEP basalts, and aluminous mare basalts. Review of chemical, mineralogical, textural and experimental evidence leads to preferred hypotheses for the origins of these rocks; those hypotheses are discussed in detail.

Temporal and spatial constraints on the evolution of a Rio Grande rift sub-basin, Guadalupe Mountain area, northern New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. A.; Turner, K. J.; Cosca, M. A.; Drenth, B.; Hudson, M. R.; Lee, J.

2013-12-01

The Taos Plateau volcanic field (TPVF) in the southern San Luis Valley of northern New Mexico is the most voluminous of the predominantly basaltic Neogene (6-1 Ma) volcanic fields of the Rio Grande rift. Volcanic deposits of the TPVF are intercalated with alluvial deposits of the Santa Fe Group and compose the N-S-trending San Luis Basin, the largest basin of the northern rift (13,500 km2 in area). Pliocene volcanic rocks of the Guadalupe Mountain area of northern New Mexico are underlain by the southern end of one of the larger sub-basins of the San Luis Valley, the Sunshine sub-basin (~ 450 km2 in area) juxtaposed against the down-to-west frontal fault of the Precambrian-cored Sangre de Cristo Range. The sub-basin plunges northward and extends to near the Colorado-New Mexico border. The western margin (~15 km west of the Sangre de Cristo fault) is constrained by outcrops of Oligocene to Miocene volcanic rocks of the Latir volcanic field, interpreted here as a broad pre-Pliocene intra-rift platform underlying much of the northern TPVF. The southern sub-basin border is derived, in part, from modeling of gravity and aeromagnetic data and is interpreted as a subsurface extension of this intra-rift platform that extends southeastward to nearly the Sangre de Cristo range front. Broadly coincident with this subsurface basement high is the northwest-trending, curvilinear terminus of the down-to-northeast Red River fault zone. South of the gravity high, basin-fill alluvium and ~3.84 Ma Servilleta basalt lava flows thicken along a poorly exposed, down-to-south, basin-bounding fault of the northern Taos graben, the largest of the San Luis Valley sub-basins. The uppermost, western sub-basin fill is exposed along steep canyon walls near the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red River. Unconformity-bound, lava flow packages are intercalated with paleo Red River fan alluvium and define six eruptive sequences in the Guadalupe Mountain area: (1) Guadalupe Mtn. lavas (dacite ~5.27-4.8 Ma), (2) lower Servilleta basalt lavas (olivine tholeiite ~5.26-4.92 Ma), (3) Hatchery volcano lavas (basaltic andesite to andesite ~4.93 Ma), (4) Red River lavas (high silica andesite ~4.93 Ma), (5) UCEM lavas (dacite ~4.85 Ma), and (6) upper Servilleta basalt lavas (olivine tholeiite ~3.84-3.45 Ma). Mapped eruptive centers are interpreted to reflect discrete pulses of volcanic activity characterized by limited compositional range and short eruption cycles. Four major, northwest-trending, dip-slip faults cut the volcanic fill. From west to east these are: (1) down-to-east Red River fault zone (post 3.84 Ma displacement), (2) down-to-east Fish Hatchery fault zone including fault splays of opposite displacement (pre- upper Servilleta displacement < 3.84 Ma and contemporaneous with eruption of Hatchery volcano lavas, ~4.93 Ma), (3) Guadalupe Mtn. fault zone, both down-to-west and down-to-east components (post ~5 Ma displacement), and (4) Tailings Pond fault zone, down-to-east (post ~5 Ma displacement). The Red River and Tailings Pond fault zones appear to have the largest cumulative displacements and may reflect eastward migration of the western sub-basin margin. This may reflect coupled partitioning of extensional strain reflected as local expressions of sub-basin development and contemporaneous volcanism.

Using Geophysics to Define Hydrostratigraphic Units in the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, B. D.; Blome, C. D.; Clark, A. K.; Kress, W.; Smith, D. V.

2007-05-01

Airborne and ground geophysical surveys conducted in Uvalde, Medina, and northern Bexar counties, Texas, can be used to define and characterize hydrostratigraphic units of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers. Airborne magnetic surveys have defined numerous Cretaceous intrusive stocks and laccoliths, mainly in Uvalde County, that influence local hydrology and perhaps regional ground-water flow paths. Depositional environments in the aquifers can be classified as shallow water platforms (San Marcos Platform, Edwards Group), shoal and reef facies (Devils River Trend, Devils River Formation), and deeper water basins (Maverick Basin, West Nueces, McKnight, and Salmon Peak Formations). Detailed airborne and ground electromagnetic surveys have been conducted over the Edwards aquifer catchment zone (exposed Trinity aquifer rocks), recharge zone (exposed Edwards aquifer rocks), and artesian zone (confined Edwards) in the Seco Creek area (northeast Uvalde and Medina Counties; Devils River Trend). These geophysical survey data have been used to divide the Edwards exposed within the Balcones fault zone into upper and lower hydrostratigraphic units. Although both units are high electrical resistivity, the upper unit has slightly lower resistivity than the lower unit. The Georgetown Formation, at the top of the Edwards Group has a moderate resistivity. The formations that comprise the upper confining units to the Edwards aquifer rocks have varying resistivities. The Eagleford and Del Rio Groups (mainly clays) have very low resistivities and are excellent electrical marker beds in the Seco Creek area. The Buda Limestone is characterized by high resistivities. Moderate resistivities characterize the Austin Group rocks (mainly chalk). The older Trinity aquifer, underlying the Edwards aquifer rocks, is characterized by less limestone (electrically resistive or low conductivity units) and greater quantities of mudstones (electrically conductive or low resistivity units). In the western area (Devils River Trend and Maverick Basin) of the Trinity aquifer system there are well-defined collapse units and features that are marked by moderate resistivities bracketed by resistive limestone and conductive mudstone of the Glen Rose Limestone. In the central part of the aquifer (San Marcos Platform) the Trinity's lithologies are divided into upper and lower units with further subdivisions into hydrostratigraphic units. These hydrostratigraphic units are well mapped by an airborne electromagnetic survey in Bexar County. Electrical properties of the Edwards aquifer also vary across the fresh-saline water interface where ground and borehole electrical surveys have been conducted. The saline- saturated Edwards is predictably more conductive than the fresh-water saturated rocks. Similar fresh-saline water interfaces exist within the upper confining units of the Edwards aquifer (Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer) and the Trinity aquifer rocks.

Predictions of hydrothermal alteration within near-ridge oceanic crust from coordinated geochemical and fluid flow models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wetzel, L.R.; Raffensperger, Jeff P.; Shock, E.L.

2001-01-01

Coordinated geochemical and hydrological calculations guide our understanding of the composition, fluid flow patterns, and thermal structure of near-ridge oceanic crust. The case study presented here illustrates geochemical and thermal changes taking place as oceanic crust ages from 0.2 to 1.0 Myr. Using a finite element code, we model fluid flow and heat transport through the upper few hundred meters of an abyssal hill created at an intermediate spreading rate. We use a reaction path model with a customized database to calculate equilibrium fluid compositions and mineral assemblages of basalt and seawater at 500 bars and temperatures ranging from 150 to 400??C. In one scenario, reaction path calculations suggest that volume increases on the order of 10% may occur within portions of the basaltic basement. If this change in volume occurred, it would be sufficient to fill all primary porosity in some locations, effectively sealing off portions of the oceanic crust. Thermal profiles resulting from fluid flow simulations indicate that volume changes along this possible reaction path occur primarily within the first 0.4 Myr of crustal aging. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Regional implications of heat flow of the Snake River Plain, Northwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackwell, D. D.

1989-08-01

The Snake River Plain is a major topographic feature of the Northwestern United States. It marks the track of an upper mantle and crustal melting event that propagated across the area from southwest to northeast at a velocity of about 3.5 cm/yr. The melting event has the same energetics as a large oceanic hotspot or plume and so the area is the continental analog of an oceanic hotspot track such as the Hawaiian Island-Emperor Seamount chain. Thus, the unique features of the area reflect the response of a continental lithosphere to a very energetic hotspot. The crust is extensively modified by basalt magma emplacement into the crust and by the resulting massive rhyolite volcanism from melted crustal material, presently occurring at Yellowstone National Park. The volcanism is associated with little crustal extension. Heat flow values are high along the margins of the Eastern and Western Snake River Plains and there is abundant evidence for low-grade geothermal resources associated with regional groundwater systems. The regional heat flow pattern in the Western Snake River Plains reflects the influence of crustal-scale thermal refraction associated with the large sedimentary basin that has formed there. Heat flow values in shallow holes in the Eastern Snake River Plains are low due to the Snake River Plains aquifer, an extensive basalt aquifer where water flow rates approach 1 km/yr. Below the aquifer, conductive heat flow values are about 100 mW m -2. Deep holes in the region suggest a systematic eastward increase in heat flow in the Snake River Plains from about 75-90 mW m -2 to 90-110 mW m -2. Temperatures in the upper crust do not behave similarly because the thermal conductivity of the Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary rocks in the west is lower than that in the volcanic rocks characteristic of the Eastern Snake River Plains. Extremely high heat loss values (averaging 2500 mW m -2) and upper crustal temperatures are characteristic of the Yellowstone caldera.

Low lower crustal velocity across Ethiopia: Is the Main Ethiopian Rift a narrow rift in a hot craton?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keranen, Katie M.; Klemperer, Simon L.; Julia, Jordi; Lawrence, Jesse F.; Nyblade, Andy A.

2009-05-01

The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) is a classic narrow rift that developed in hot, weak lithosphere, not in the initially cold, thick, and strong lithosphere that would be predicted by common models of rift mode formation. Our new 1-D seismic velocity profiles from Rayleigh wave/receiver function joint inversion across the MER and the Ethiopian Plateau indicate that hot lower crust and upper mantle are present throughout the broad region affected by Oligocene flood basalt volcanism, including both the present rift and the adjacent Ethiopian Plateau hundreds of kilometers from the rift valley. The region of hot lithosphere closely corresponds to the region of flood basalt volcanism, and we interpret that the volcanism and thermal perturbation were jointly caused by impingement of the Afar plume head. Across the affected region, Vs is 3.6-3.8 km/s in the lowermost crust and ≤4.3 km/s in the uppermost mantle, both ˜0.3 km/s lower than in the eastern and western branches of the East African Rift System to the south. We interpret the low Vs in the lower crust and upper mantle as indicative of hot lithosphere with partial melt. Our results lead to a hybrid rift mode, in which the brittle upper crust has developed as a narrow rift along the Neoproterozoic suture between East and West Gondwana, while at depth lithospheric deformation is distributed over the broad region (˜400 km wide) thermally perturbed by the broad thermal upwelling associated with the Afar plume head. Development of both the East African Rift System to the south (in cold, strong lithosphere) and the MER to the north (in hot, weak lithosphere) as narrow rifts, despite their vastly different initial thermal states and depth-integrated lithospheric strength, indicates that common models of rift mode formation that focus only on temperature, thickness, and vertical strength profiles do not apply to these classic continental rifts. Instead, inherited structure and associated lithospheric weaknesses are the primary control on the mode of extension.

Xenon isotopic composition of the Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peto, M. K.; Mukhopadhyay, S.

2012-12-01

Although convection models do not preclude preservation of smaller mantle regions with more pristine composition throughout Earth's history, it has been widely assumed that the moon forming giant impact likely homogenizes the whole mantle following a magma ocean that extended all the way to the bottom of the mantle. Recent findings of tungsten and xenon heterogeneities in the mantle [1,2,3,4], however, imply that i) the moon forming giant impact may not have homogenized the whole mantle and ii) plate tectonics was inefficient in erasing early formed compositional differences, particularly for the xenon isotopes. Therefore, the xenon isotope composition in the present day mantle still preserves a memory of early Earth processes. However, determination of the xenon isotopic composition of the mantle source is still scarce, since the mantle composition is overprinted by post-eruptive atmospheric contamination in basalts erupted at ocean islands and mid ocean ridges. The xenon composition of the depleted upper mantle has been defined by the gas rich sample, 2πD43 (also known as "popping rock"), from the North Atlantic (13° 469`N). However, the composition of a single sample is not likely to define the composition of the upper mantle, especially since popping rock has an "enriched" trace element composition. We will present Ne, Ar and Xe isotope data on MORB glass samples with "normal" helium isotope composition (8±1 Ra) from the Southeast Indian Ridge, the South Atlantic Ridge, the Sojourn Ridge, the Juan de Fuca, the East Pacific Rise, and the Gakkel Ridge. Following the approach of [1], we correct for syn- and post-eruptive atmosphere contamination, and determine the variation of Ar and Xe isotope composition of the "normal" MORB source. We investigate the effect of atmospheric recycling in the variation of MORB mantle 40Ar/36Ar and 129Xe/130Xe ratios, and attempt to constrain the average upper mantle argon and xenon isotopic compositions. [1] Mukhopadhyay, Nature 2012; [2] Tucker et al., EPSL (in review); [3] Moreira et al., Nature 1998 [4] Touboul et al., Science 2012.

Low lower crustal velocity across Ethiopia: Is the Main Ethiopian Rift a narrow rift in a hot craton?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keranen, K.M.; Klemperer, S.L.; Julia, J.; Lawrence, J. F.; Nyblade, A.A.

2009-01-01

[1] The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) is a classic narrow rift that developed in hot, weak lithosphere, not in the initially cold, thick, and strong lithosphere that would be predicted by common models of rift mode formation. Our new 1-D seismic velocity profiles from Rayleigh wave/receiver function joint inversion across the MER and the Ethiopian Plateau indicate that hot lower crust and upper mantle are present throughout the broad region affected by Oligocene flood basalt volcanism, including both the present rift and the adjacent Ethiopian Plateau hundreds of kilometers from the rift valley. The region of hot lithosphere closely corresponds to the region of flood basalt volcanism, and we interpret that the volcanism and thermal perturbation were jointly caused by impingement of the Afar plume head. Across the affected region, Vs is 3.6-3.8 km/s in the lowermost crust and ???4.3 km/s in the uppermost mantle, both ??0.3 km/s lower than in the eastern and western branches of the East African Rift System to the south. We interpret the low Vs in the lower crust and upper mantle as indicative of hot lithosphere with partial melt. Our results lead to a hybrid rift mode, in which the brittle upper crust has developed as a narrow rift along the Neoproterozoic suture between East and West Gondwana, while at depth lithospheric deformation is distributed over the broad region (??400 km wide) thermally perturbed by the broad thermal upwelling associated with the Afar plume head. Development of both the East African Rift System to the south (in cold, strong lithosphere) and the MER to the north (in hot, weak lithosphere) as narrow rifts, despite their vastly different initial thermal states and depth-integrated lithospheric strength, indicates that common models of rift mode formation that focus only on temperature, thickness, and vertical strength profiles do not apply to these classic continental rifts. Instead, inherited structure and associated lithospheric weaknesses are the primary control on the mode of extension. ?? 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

The 40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar dating of lavas from the Hilo 1-km core hole, Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sharp, W.D.; Turrin, B.D.; Renne, P.R.; Lanphere, M.A.

1996-01-01

Mauna Kea lava flows cored in the HilIo hole range in age from <200 ka to about 400 ka based on 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating and K-Ar analyses of 16 groundmass samples and one coexisting plagioclase. The lavas, all subaerially deposited, include a lower section consisting only of tholeiitic basalts and an upper section of interbedded alkalic, transitional tholeiitic, and tholeiitic basalts. The lower section has yielded predominantly complex, discordant 40Ar/39Ar age spectra that result from mobility of 40Ar and perhaps K, the presence of excess 40Ar, and redistribution of 39Ar by recoil. Comparison of K-Ar ages with 40Ar/39Ar integrated ages indicates that some of these samples have also lost 39Ar. Nevertheless, two plateau ages of 391 ?? 40 and 400 ?? 26 ka from deep in the hole, combined with data from the upper section, show that the tholeiitic section accumulated at an average rate of about 7 to 8 m/kyr and has an mean recurrence interval of 0.5 kyr/flow unit. Samples from the upper section yield relatively precise 40Ar/39Ar plateau and isotope correlation ages of 326 ?? 23, 241 ?? 5, 232 ?? 4, and 199 ?? 9 ka for depths of -415.7 m to -299.2 m. Within their uncertainty, these ages define a linear relationship with depth, with an average accumulation rate of 0.9 m/kyr and an average recurrence interval of 4.8 kyr/flow unit. The top of the Mauna Kea sequence at -280 m must be older than the plateau age of 132 ?? 32 ka, obtained for the basal Mauna Loa flow in the corehole. The upward decrease in lava accumulation rate is a consequence of the decreasing magma supply available to Mauna Kea as it rode the Pacific plate away from its magma source, the Hawaiian mantle plume. The age-depth relation in the core hole may be used to test and refine models that relate the growth of Mauna Kea to the thermal and compositional structure of the mantle plume.