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At least 37 records · Page 2

Ar-40-Ar-39 and Rb-Sr age determinations on Quaternary volcanic rocks

Ages of leucite and biotite separates from samples of the potassic volcanics of the Roman Comagmatic region are derived by the stepwise degassing variant of the Ar-39-Ar-40 dating method and compared with those derived from Rb-Sr dating in order to evaluate the abilities of the methods to date Quaternary geological events. Six of the leucite separates are found to contain Ar with very high bulk 40/36 ratios and to have well correlated Ar-40 and Ar-39 contents, yielding ages of approximately 338,000 years. Two leucites observed to contain Ar with lower bulk 40/36 ratios and Ar-40/Ar-36 ratios significantly lower than atmospheric are found to have ages in substantial agreement with those of the other leucites despite the uncertainty in the composition of the trapped component. Ages obtained for the biotites are not as precise as those of the leucites, due to difficulties in obtaining a good separation of in situ radiogenic Ar-40 from trapped Ar-40. Ages determined from Rb-Sr measurements for selected tuff samples are found to be in good agreement with the Ar-40-Ar-39 ages of the leucites. Results demonstrate the possibility of attaining precisions of better than 5% in the dating of rocks 350,000 years old by both the Ar-40-Ar-39 and the Rb-Sr methods.

Radicati Di Brozolo, F.↗

Early Archean tonalite gneiss in the upper peninsula of Michigan

Geochronological results on tonalite gneiss of northern Michigan that is 3.56 Ga or slightly older is presented. Tonalitic augen gneiss and structurally overlying biotite gneiss and schist are exposed in a dome near Watersmeet. They are part of an extensive gneiss terrane of southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan that includes rocks of early to late Archean ages and lies south of the Wawa volcanic subprovince. Two samples of the augen gneiss and one of the biotite gneiss show zircon grains of similar shape, zoning, color, and development of crystal faces. These zircons give Pb/U isotopic ratios that plot on a chord of 3,560 + or - 40 m.y. upper intersect and of 1,250 + or m.y. lower intersect. The 3,560 m.y. number is believed to be a minimum age because analysis of one of the least discordant zircon fractions by ion microprobe that gave a nearly concordant age of 3,650 m.y. The 1,250 m.y. lower intersect is without geological significance: it is interpreted to be a result of multiple lead loss at 2.7, 1.8, and 0.5 Ga by U/Pb in zircon. Archean rocks 10 to 25 km northwest of the Watersmeet dome give a 2.75 Ga age on zircons. Quartz monzonite here is dated at 2.65 Ga.

Peterman, Z. E.↗

Kabbaldurga-type charnockitization: A local phenomenon in the granulite to amphibolite grade transition zone

In the deeply eroded Precambrian crust of South India and Sri Lanka, a series of spectacular exposures shows progressive development of coarse-grained charnockite through dehydration of amphibolite grade gneisses in different arrested stages. At Kabbaldurga, charnockitization of Archaean grey biotite-hornblende gneisses occurred about 2.5 Ga ago and evidently was induced by the influx of external carbonic fluids along a system of ductile shears and the foliation planes. The results of oxygen isotope thermometry and of geothermobarometry in adjacent areas indicate a P-T regime of 700 to 750 C and 5 to 7 kb. The decrease of water activity in the fluid infiltrated zones caused an almost complete breakdown of hornblende and biotite and the new growth of hypersthene. Detailed petrographic and geochemical studies revealed marked changes in mineralogy and chemistry from granodioritic to granitic which document the metasomatic nature of the process.

Raith, M.↗

Laboratory Investigation of the Effect of Venusian Weathering on Mineral Spectra

Introduction: The recent selection of two missions to Venus has renewed the importance of deter-mining weathering reactions between minerals and the Venusian atmosphere, and the spectral signatures of minerals before, during, and after these reactions. The rate at which weathering reactions progress also constrain show long unstable minerals will be present on the surface (e.g., [1]), and enables the use of mineralogy as a constraint on surface age(e.g., [2-3]).In order to gain an understanding of how mineral compositions and spectra change with weathering, we have begun conducting experiments in a 1 atm experimental setup at Wesleyan University. This setup exposes minerals to the temperature and most abundant gases of the Venus atmosphere (CO2, SO2, N2).We conducted initial experiments using biotite, calcite, and montmorillonite in order to test our methodology with minerals that may be relevant to recording the history of water on Venus. Methods: Experiments were conducted in Thermo Fisher Scientific Lindberg/Blue M Mini-Mite horizontal tube furnaces at Wesleyan University. Experiments used natural mineral chips and powders, and were conducted at 1 atmosphere and 460 °C under pre-mixed gases provided by Air Gas(Table 1). The furnaces are set up in a flow through configuration so that solid samples are exposed to a fixed gas composition, and quartz glass process tubes were used in all experiments (1/4” diameter for experiment V4, ½” diameter for all others). These conditions were maintained for the du-rations listed in Table 1, at which point the furnace was turned off with gas flowing until the sample was cool enough to extract under N2and be placed in a desiccator for storage. Run products were carbon coated and examined using a Hitachi SU5000 Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with an EDAX Octane Pro EDS detector located at Wesley-an University. Visible-Near Infrared Spectroscopy (VNIR) analysis was performed on powdered samples under a nitrogen atmosphere using an ASD Fieldspec Proover the 350-2500 nm range. Powdered mineral samples were milled to a particle size of < 45μm and were spiked with an internal standard (Al2O3, corundum) to obtain quantitative mineralogy. Samples were analyzed using a Panalytical X’Pert pro X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), with an X’Celerator high speed detector and Co Kα radiation, with data collected at a step size of 0.02 ̊/minute step counting rate from 2 to 80 degrees 2θ at 45 mA/40kV in the X-ray Diffraction Laboratory located at NASA Johnson Space Center. Materials Data Inc (MDI) software suite, JadeTMv9 was used for Rietveld refinement to determine phase abundances and mineral identification by comparing XRD patterns to International Center for Diffraction Data (ICDD) database patterns. Table 1: Experimental matrix. Experiment Name Duration (Days)Gas Com-position (trace gas)MineralsV487SO2/N2(1.4%)Montmorillonite, biotiteV519SO2/N2(1.4%)CalciteV619CO2/SO2/N2(1.4% SO2, 2.1% N2)Montmorillonite, biotiteV828SO2/N2(1.4%)Biotite, calcite Results: Calcite. In both experiments, calcite was exposed to the SO2/N2gas mixture, and in both experimental run products, XRD analysis detected anhydrite, which is consistent with EDS measurements conducted in the SEM. The XRD analyses show greater amounts of anhydrite present after 28 days than 19, suggesting the calcite reaction progressed further given longer duration. Grain surface morphology as seen in the SEM also shows secondary mineral growth (Fig. 1). VNIR spectra show no change, as expected since anhydrite lacks spectral features in this wavelength range. Montmorillonite. Montmorillonite was exposed to two different gas mixtures, the SO2/N2mix and CO2/SO2/N2mix over different durations (87 and 19 days, respectively). VNIR analyses of both run products show a reduction in the 1441and1910 nm water features as well as a shift of the 1411 and 2011 nm features to shorter wavelengths that may indicate re-structuring in the crystal lattice and the production of amorphous phases [4]. XRD results are consistent with this, showing a shift of the 001 peak from 15Åto 10Åin both run products. The amount of X-ray amorphous material in the montmorillonite run products was greater than that present in the unreacted clay, being the greatest in the 87 day V4 experiment. No other secondary phases were detected in the run products, however sulfur was present in EDS analyses of powder samples.

A R Santos↗

Nitrogen in Ancient Mud: A Biosignature?

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. Burial of nitrogen bound to organic matter constitutes the major flux of nitrogen into sediments today, which has led to the inference that nitrogen enrichments in sedimentary rocks may be a biosignature. However, abiotic processes such as lightning or volcanism can fix atmospheric N2 and contribute to sedimentary nitrogen burial in the absence of life. It is therefore uncertain whether observed nitrogen enrichments of up to 430 ppm in Paleoarchean metasedimentary biotite grains are indeed biogenic. This study seeks to address that problem with a numerical model. The NH4(+) concentration of an abiotic ocean is modeled as a function of source fluxes, pH-dependent NH3 volatilization, and equilibrated adsorption of NH4(+) onto clay particles. The results suggest that the observed nitrogen concentrations in Paleoarchean biotite can only be reconciled with purely abiotic processes if the ocean was more acidic (pH <6) and/or if the source fluxes from lightning and volcanism were at least an order of magnitude higher (≥10(exp 12) mol/yr) than previously thought. The bulk of the nitrogen is thus most likely of biological origin. While this does not necessitate a particular metabolism such as biological N2 fixation, the data provide evidence of nitrogen utilization back to 3.8 Gyr. Nitrogen abundances could thus provide useful information in extraterrestrial missions.

Early Earth↗

Atom Probe Tomography Analysis of Mica

Laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT) is a relatively new, powerful technique for sub-nanometric mineral and biomineral analysis. However, the laser-assisted APT analysis of highly anisotropic and chemically diverse minerals, such as phyllosilicates, may prove especially challenging due to the complex interaction between the crystal structure and the laser pulse upon applying a high electric field. Micas are a representative group of nonswelling clay minerals of relevance to a number of scientific and technological fields. In this study, a Mg-rich biotite was analyzed by APT to generate preliminary data on nonisotropic minerals and to investigate the effect of the crystallographic orientation on mica chemical composition and structure estimation. Here, the difference in results obtained for specimens extracted from the (001) and ( hk 0) mica surfaces indicate the importance of both experimental parameters and the crystallography. Anisotropy of mica has a strong influence on the physicochemical properties of the mineral during field evaporation and the interpretation of APT data. The promising results obtained in the present study open the way to future innovative APT applications on mica and clay minerals and contribute to the general discussion on the challenges for the analysis of geomaterials by atom probe tomography.

3D reconstructions↗

Colloidal metal transport in soils developing on historic coal mine spoil

Chemical weathering of pyrite via oxidative dissolution is well-known for generating Fe(III)-bearing colloids at acid mine drainage (AMD) sites; however, the potential for physical weathering of pyrite-bearing materials and subsequent release and transport of colloidal pyrite and associated trace metals has not been studied. Here, we monitored the colloidal metal transport in soil developing on abandoned coal mine spoil with a history of AMD generation to systematically study the contribution of colloids to base and trace metal transport and determine the elemental and mineralogical composition of colloids. Additionally, we collected soil pore water using lysimeters with a pore size of approximately 1.3 μm and centrifugation was used to separate the colloids from aqueous fractions. Metal concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, K, Si, Al, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn were analyzed. Our results show only 14% of the total Al and Cu were present in colloidal fractions whereas 23%, 43%, and 54% of Fe, Mn, and Zn were transported in the colloidal phase, respectively. In contrast, all base metals were primarily present in the aqueous concentration with a small fraction (<10%) present in the colloidal phase. The colloidal fractions of the base metals were inferred to be associated with the concentration of clay colloids. The release of colloids exhibited possible sensitivity toward weather conditions such as alternating high temperatures and rainfall during summer (May–July) compared to fall (August–November). The morphology, elemental, and mineral composition of colloids were determined by a scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Colloids were dominated by phyllosilicates (biotite, muscovite, and kaolinite) with minor quartz and feldspars. Other minerals phases identified in colloidal fractions were hematite, goethite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite. Colloids consisting of Fe, S, and O with structures resembling framboidal pyrite were identified, which is consistent with the non-silicates minerals identified by XRD. Our study suggests that the physical weathering of pyrite in the mine spoil can generate colloidal pyrite, which is mobilized and transported by soil pore water. Our results also indicate that these pyritic colloids are associated with toxic trace metals including Cu, Mn, and Zn. Colloid mobilization is also impacted by changes in temperature and precipitation, where clay mobilization afer rain events is favored. Further, sudden spikes in aqueous and/or colloidal concentrations may be the result of local heterogeneity within soils developing on mine spoil, indicating that further field-based work is necessary to better characterize pore-scale processes that control aqueous and colloid transport at similar sites to have a better understanding of potential contaminant transport from mine spoil systems.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Cation uptake by fine aggregate in hardened cement mortar and its effect on electrical properties

Electrical resistivity tests can be used to evaluate the transport properties of concrete and provide a durability assessment. However, the electrical resistivity is largely dependent on the pore solution composition and recent work suggests that some aggregates have the capacity for cation uptake. This study first aims to provide further evidence for adsorption of cations on aggregate surfaces, without formation of reaction products (e.g. alkali-silica reaction). Secondly, hardened mortar samples were prepared using a fine aggregate with a high alkali affinity and a non-reactive fine aggregate as a control. The electrical resistivity of mortars was measured, and the pore solution of these mortars was obtained through high-pressure extraction. The effect of aggregate moisture dilution on the pore solution was decoupled by using a pore partitioning model. The results indicate that aggregate minerology can influence the pore solution composition through cation uptake. Specific minerals of minor quantity, like biotite, may be responsible for cation exchange. While adsorbed cations strongly affected pore solution and formation factor measurement, the bulk resistivity measurements on hardened mortar were only marginally influenced. Research on other implications of similar aggregate interactions with pore solutions are an intriguing area for future research.

Alkali-aggregate reaction↗

A combined experimental and modelling study of granite hydrothermal alteration

Geochemical reactions can induce significant changes of rock reservoir porosity and permeability via mineral dissolution and precipitation processes, affecting the long-term fluid behaviour within various geological systems. Here, the understanding and quantification of these reactions rely on field and experimental studies and on the predictions of reactive transport models. The present study was aimed at assessing the extent to which current geochemical models integrating available mineral dissolution/precipitation rate equations can reproduce the experimental data obtained from 4 to 17-day long hydrothermal alteration experiments of a muscovite-biotite granite and, thus, help provide an accurate description of the evolution of geothermal systems within granitic reservoirs. The experiments were conducted at a constant temperature of 180 °C and over an aqueous fluid pH range of 2 to 8.5, using both mixed-flow and static batch reactors. Modelled major element (K, Al, Si, Ca, and Mg) concentrations were generally in satisfactory agreement with the corresponding measured elemental fluxes – the differences between modelled and experimental values were generally within a factor of 5 – and the predicted identity and mass of formed secondary phases were consistent with the microscopic observations of the reacted solids. However, larger differences between measured and modelled element concentrations were observed when significant amounts of secondary phases formed, notably at pH 2 to 3, and for longer-term batch experiments. Much of this concentration difference stems from the underestimation of the amounts of Al-phases formed at acid to near-neutral pH. Although an idealized rock composition was considered, the observed mismatch between model calculations and experimental data can be attributed to inadequate mineral precipitation reaction rates and a poor description of reactive surface areas in existing geochemical modelling codes. More accurate quantification of precipitation kinetics, including nucleation and growth, and improved descriptions of the temporal change of mineral surface area would enhance the predictive capabilities of reactive transport models and benefit, particularly, the efforts aimed at increasing the sustainability of EGS reservoirs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Review of allanite: Properties, occurrence and mineral processing technologies

Allanite is commonly encountered as an accessory rare-earth silicate mineral in association with minerals such as garnet, biotite, and feldspar. It is distributed globally and occurs in igneous formations such as granites, pegmatites, and syenites, as well as in various metamorphic rocks such as schist, gneiss, and amphibolite. Moreover, it can be found in mineral veins formed through hydrothermal activity. While allanite has not yet been extensively utilized for the production of rare-earth elements, recent discoveries of high-grade rare-earth-rich allanite deposits in Wyoming, USA, highlight its economic potential. However, despite ongoing research on the mineralogy and processing of rare-earth minerals, allanite has not received widespread attention in mineral processing. To achieve economical extraction of rare-earth elements from allanite in the future, systematic studies on processing techniques (e.g., density separation, magnetic separation, flotation, leaching) are imperative to fully unlock the potential of allanite as a rare-earth element source. To pave the way for future investigation of allanite and address the unique processing challenges, this review article aims to comprehensively summarize previous studies, encompassing properties, occurrences, and processing technologies of allanite.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Insight into industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) root exudation composition in a simulated soil environment: a rhizosphere-on-a-chip study

Microfluidic technologies provide a reduced complexity and soil-free environment to study plant-soil interactions at the microscale. Traditionally used for model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, this study represents the first application of a rhizosphere-on-a-chip (RhizoChip) to investigate root exudation in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), an agronomic crop with growing economic importance. By incorporating soil-like minerals (kaolinite, potassium feldspar, and biotite), the RhizoChip addresses limitations of previous research. Hemp seedlings grown in mineral-containing chips exhibited significant root growth, emphasizing the critical role of minerals in root development. Using untargeted metabolomics, 170 compounds were identified, including organic acids, amino acids, and secondary metabolites, with distinct profiles across conditions. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed activity in amino acid metabolism, the citric acid cycle, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. In conclusion, this study highlights the RhizoChip's potential for long-term studies of root exudates in non-model crops and offers insights into rhizosphere processes with implications for sustainable agriculture.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Aerosol iron speciation and seasonal variation of iron oxidation state over the western Antarctic Peninsula

The iron (Fe) speciation and oxidation state have been considered critical factors affecting Fe solubility in the atmosphere and bioavailability in the surface ocean. In this study, elemental composition and Fe speciation in aerosol samples collected at the Palmer Station in the West Antarctic Peninsula were determined using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The elemental composition of coarse-mode (>1 mu m) Fe-containing particles suggests that the region's crustal emission is the primary source of aerosol Fe. The Fe minerals in these aerosol particles were predominantly hematite and biotite, but minor fractions of pyrite and ilmenite were observed as well. The Fe oxidation state showed an evident seasonal variation. Further, the Fe(II) content accounted for 71% of the total Fe in the austral summer, while this fraction dropped to 60% in the austral winter. Multivariate linear models involving meteorological parameters suggested that the wind speed, relative humidity, and solar irradiance were the factors that significantly controlled the percentage of Fe(II) in the austral summer. On the contrary, no relationship was found between these factors and the Fe(II) percentage in the austral winter, suggesting that atmospheric photoreduction and regional dust emission were limited. Moreover, the snow depth was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the aerosol Fe concentration, confirming the limiting effect of snow/ice cover on the regional dust emission. Given that the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced rapid warming during recent decades, the ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula may act as potential dust sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

U-Pb ages for sphene in a contact metamorphic zone.

U-Pb ages have been determined on sphene concentrates from the 2700 my old Giants Range Granite at varying distances from the contact with the 1100 my old Duluth gabbro. As the contact is approached the sphene ages become more discordant and plot along a chord between 1100 and 2700 my on a concordia diagram. The U-Pb ages for sphene in the contact aureole are more resistant to thermal metamorphism than are K-Ar ages for hornblende and biotite. The resistance relative to U-Pb ages for zircon is more difficult to interpret because the zircon U-Pb ages may have become discordant prior to or after 1100 my ago, whereas the U-Pb ages for sphene appear to have had episodic discordance only at 1100 my ago.

Hanson, G. N.↗

Metamorphism, argon depletion, heat flow and stress on the Alpine fault

The Alpine fault of New Zealand is a major continental transform fault which was uplifted on its southeast side 4 to 11 km within the last 5 m.y. This uplift has exposed the Haast schists, which were metamorphosed from the adjacent Torlesse graywackes. The Haast schists increase in metamorphic grade from prehnite-pumpellyite facies 9-12 km from the fault through the chlorite and biotite zones of the greenschist facies to the garnet-oligoclase zone amphibolite facies within 4 km of the fault. These metamorphic zone boundaries are subparallel to the fault for 350 km along the strike. The K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages of the schists increase with distance from the fault: from 4 m.y. within 3 km of the fault to approximately 110 m.y. 20 km from the fault. Field relations show that the source of heat that produced the argon depletion aureole was the fault itself.

Scholz, C. H.↗

Ries impact crater, southern Germany - Search for meteoritic material

Twenty-three samples covering a wide range of shock metamorphism from the Ries impact crater in southern Germany were analyzed for siderophile and volatile elements in order to determine the chemical nature of the impacting meteorite. Slight enrichments in the siderophile elements Ir and Os above the indigenous level of 0.015 ppb were observed in only eight samples, including a shocked, metal-bearing amphibolite and two weakly shocked biotite gneisses, whereas those samples expected to contain meteoritic material (heavily shocked glasses) do not exhibit a perceptible siderophile enrichment. The Ir, Os and Ni enrichments of the metal bearing amphibolite are found to be compatible with chondritic ratios, while in the other enriched samples, Ir, Ni and Se relationships suggest an achondritic meteoritic origin. An aubritic projectile is concluded to be most compatible with the data.

Morgan, J. W.↗

New insights into typical Archaean structures in greenstone terranes of western Ontario

Ongoing detailed field work in selected granitoid complexes of the western Wabigoon and Wawa Subprovinces, southern Canadian Shield, has led to several new conclusions: (1) Prominent gneiss domes are composed of prestrained tonalite-granodiorite and represent dense hoods of magmatic granitoid diapirs; (2) the deformation history of the prestrained gneiss remains to be unraveled; (3) the gneiss lacked a thick cover of mafic metavolcanics or other dense rocks at the time of magmatic diaprisim; (4) the synclinoral structure of large greenstone belts is older than the late gneiss domes and may have been initiated by volcano-tectonic processes; (5) small greenstone masses within the gneiss are complexly deformed, together with the gneiss; and, (6) no compelling evidence has been found of ductile early thrusting in the gneiss terranes. Zones of greenstone enclaves occur in hornblende-rich contaminated tonalite and are apt to be deformed magmatic septa. Elsewhere, the tonalite gneiss is biotite-rich and hornblende-poor. These conclusions rest on several new pieces of structural evidence; (1) oval plutons of syenite-diorite have magmatic strain fabrics and sharp contacts that are parallel to an axial-plane foliation in the surrounding refolded gneiss; (2) gneiss domes are lithologically composite and contain large sheath-like structures which are deformed early plutons, distorted earlier gneiss domes, or early ductile nappes produced by folding of planar plutonic septa, and (3) the predomal attitudes of gneissosity varied from point to point.

Schwerdtner, W. M.↗