thickness and extent of the subglacial till layer beneath an antarctic paleo ice stream fast flowing ice streams and outlet glaciers currently account for as much as 90 of the discharge from the antarctic and greenland ice sheets although the deformation of subglacial material has been proposed as the mechanism for this rapid motion such sediment is usually hidden under several kilometers of ice marine geophysical records have allowed reconstruction of the three dimensional thickness of the sedimentary bed beneath a large antarctic paleo ice stream for the first time fast flow is indicated by streamlined seafloor lineations that form the surface of a layer of low shear strength unsorted sediment averaging 4 6 m thick rapid motion of the paleo ice stream was a result of subglacial deformation within this layer

the last british ice sheet a review of the evidence utilised in the compilation of the glacial map of britain this paper reviews the evidence presently available as at december 2003 for the compilation of the glacial map of britain see clark c d evans d j a khatwa a bradwell t jordan c j marsh s h mitchell w a bateman m d 2004 map and gis database of glacial landforms and features related to the last british ice sheet boreas 33 359 375 and http www shef ac uk geography staff clark chris britice html in an effort to stimulate further research on the last british ice sheet and promote a reconstruction of ice sheet behaviour based on glacial geology and geomorphology the wide range of evidence that has been scrutinized for inclusion on the glacial map is assessed with respect to the variability of its quality and quantity and the existing controversies in ice sheet reconstructions landforms interpreted as being of unequivocal ice marginal origin moraines ice contact glacifluvial landforms and lateral meltwater channels and till sheet margins are used in conjunction with available chronological control to locate former glacier and ice sheet margins throughout the last glacial cycle subglacial landforms drumlins flutings and eskers have been used to demarcate former flow patterns within the ice sheet the compilation of evidence in a regional map is crucial to any future reconstructions of palaeo ice sheet dynamics and will provide a clearer understanding of ice sheet configuration ice divide migration and ice thickness and coverage for the british ice sheet as it evolved through the last glacial cycle

the minch palaeo ice stream nw sector of the british irish ice sheet geophysical data from the uk continental shelf off nw scotland reveal strongly parallel subglacial bedforms on the sea bed field mapping on the adjacent landmass has identified closely spaced bedrock megagrooves and highly elongate drumlinoid forms all these mega scale glacial lineations probably formed beneath the same fast flowing zone of the last british irish ice sheet the minch palaeo ice stream this ice stream drained the nw sector of the british irish ice sheet during the late devensian glaciation marine isotope stage 2 and terminated near the edge of the continental shelf the size of the adjacent trough mouth sula sgeir fan and the presence of buried mega scale glacial lineations within the quaternary stratigraphic record imply that fast ice sheet flow in the minch has been a feature of several mid to late pleistocene glaciations

a tale of shales the relative roles of production decomposition and dilution in the accumulation of organic rich strata middle upper devonian appalachian basin abstract a new consensus on the processes responsible for organic carbon burial in ancient epeiric seas has emerged more firmly grounded in the uniformitarian framework of modern oceanography and biogeochemistry this consensus recognizes the interdependent roles of sedimentation primary production and microbial metabolism in favor of earlier end member models e g production vs preservation in this study one of the classic stratigraphic sequences upon which the preservation end member was based is re interpreted in light of this new consensus the study employs an extensive new sedimentological biogeochemical database from cores drilled in western new york the database spans over 500 m and 15 my of devonian deposition in the appalachian basin and provides a framework for comparative study of organic matter burial the major conclusions are 1 few organic rich units were deposited under pervasive anoxic sulfidic water columns 2 establishment and breakdown of seasonal thermoclines on annual or longer timescales were the predominant mode of stratification and 3 under such conditions remineralization of bio limiting nutrients may have played a key role in organic matter burial by creating a eutrophication pump this pump may have augmented an already rising nutrient inventory such that productivity levels exceeded the threshold required for development of suboxic to anoxic conditions in sediments and episodically in bottom waters a final conclusion asserts that the master variable for organic matter accumulation was relative sea level change which exerted influence on clastic dilution preservation and production processes sea level rise events led to sediment starvation and organic carbon concentration in distal basin sediments as well as to decreased effectiveness of seasonal mixing and thus longer build up intervals for remineralized nutrients episodic mixing of nutrient enriched bottom waters led to enhanced production ultimately increased clastic sediment delivery and water column mixing during relative sea level fall diluted surface sediment organic content such that respiratory demand could be met by increased oxygen supply thus terminating deposition of strata enriched in organic carbon

burial of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur in sediments over phanerozoic time a new theory in present day marine sediments almost all of which are deposited in normal oxygenated seawater rates of burial of organic carbon c and pyrite sulfur s correlate positively and bear a constant ratio to one another c s 3 on a weight basis by contrast calculations based on the isotopic model of garrels and lerman 1981 indicate that at various times during the phanerozoic the worldwide burial ratio must have been considerably different than the present day value this ratio change is caused by the requirement that increases in the worldwide mass of organic carbon must be accompanied by equivalent decreases in the mass of sedimentary pyrite sulfur in order to maintain a roughly constant level of o2 in the atmosphere such apparently contradictory behavior can be explained if the locus of major organic carbon burial has shifted over time from normal marine environments as at present to non marine freshwater or to euxinic environments in the geologic past a shift to predominantly freshwater burial can help explain predicted high c s ratios in permo carboniferous sediments and a shift to euxinic environments can help explain predicted low c s ratios during the early paleozoic it is demonstrated that the three environments today exhibit distinguishably different average c s ratios

remnant colloform pyrite at the haile gold deposit south carolina a textural key to genesis auriferous iron sulfide bearing deposits of the carolina slate belt have distinctive mineralogical and textural features traits that provide a basis to construct models of ore deposition our identification of paragenetically early types of pyrite especially remnant colloform crustiform and layered growth textures of pyrite containing electrum and pyrrhotite establishes unequivocally that gold mineralization was coeval with deposition of host rocks and not solely related to paleozoic tectonic events ore horizons at the haile deposit south carolina contain many remnants of early pyrite 1 fine grained cubic pyrite disseminated along bedding 2 fine grained spongy rounded masses of pyrite that may envelop or drape over pyrite cubes 3 fragments of botryoidally and crustiform layered pyrite and 4 pyritic infilling of vesicles and pumice detailed mineral chemistry by petrography microprobe sem and eds analysis of replaced pumice and colloform structures containing both arsenic compositional banding and electrum points to coeval deposition of gold and the volcanic host rocks and thus confirms a syngenetic origin for the gold deposits early pyrite textures are present in other major deposits of the carolina slate belt such as ridgeway and barite hill and these provide strong evidence for models whereby the sulfide ores formed prior to tectonism the role of paleozoic metamorphism was to remobilize and concentrate gold and other minerals in structurally prepared sites recognizing the significance of paragenetically early pyrite and gold textures can play an important role in distinguishing sulfide ores that form in volcanic and sedimentary environments from those formed solely by metamorphic processes exploration strategies applied to the carolina slate belt and correlative rocks in the eastern united states in the avalonian basement will benefit from using syngenetic models for gold mineralization

ice stream shear margin moraines the distribution and pattern of subglacial bedforms provides valuable insights into the configuration and behaviour of former ice sheets and recent work has begun to address the landform assemblages of palaeo ice streams in this paper we focus on subglacially formed ice stream shear margin moraines these landforms are thought to form in the shear zone between fast flowing stream ice and slow moving sheet ice using satellite imagery and aerial photographs we identify four ice stream shear margin moraines associated with the former m clintock channel palaeo ice stream victoria island arctic canada the moraines range in length from 11 to 22 km maintain fairly constant widths of around 500 m and range in height from 10 to 50 m above the surrounding terrain they are composed of carbonate drift of a similar composition as the ice stream bedforms and have been laid down irrespective of local and regional topography two of the moraines display a lateral offset and are thought to reflect minor migrations of the ice stream margin we explore their possible mode of formation and suggest that they occur when erosion at the ice stream margin provides a surplus of sediment which is smeared out in the downstream direction the identification of other palaeo ice stream shear margin moraines has probably been hampered by their interrupted continuity which can only be appreciated at the large scale it is hoped that the descriptions presented in this paper will help to identify these landforms and increased detection of palaeo ice streams will reveal other ice stream shear margin moraines copyright 2002 john wiley sons ltd

origin and consequences of cyclic ice rafting in the northeast atlantic ocean during the past 130 000 years deep sea sediment cores recovered from the northeast atlantic ocean were examined in order to elucidate the influence of the earth s orbital parameters on major ice rafting analyses of coarse grained ice rafted debris and planktonic foraminifers revealed a strong reaction to the precession signal since 130 000 yr b p dropstone layers have been deposited each half period of a precessional cycle 11 000 1000 yr ice rafting occurs during times of winter minimum summer maximum insolation and summer minimum winter maximum insolation in the first case high summer insolation forces meltwater discharge from the ice sheets into the polar seas which subsequently enhances formation of sea ice during the winter in the second case growth of continental ice enhances iceberg production which also leads to a salinity reduction of surface seawater both situations result in a southward penetration of polar water thus the marine record of dropstones documents ice rafting not only during weichselian stades but also during cold events within interstades the regularity of ice rafting yields a useful framework to calibrate and elucidate climatic changes not only in the region of the north atlantic ocean but also in remote areas such as the pacific ocean and the antarctic

in search of ice stream sticky spots the form drag of large bedrock bumps sticking into the base of an ice stream can produce effective sticky spots supporting large basal shear stress bedrock regions surrounded by lubricating till at the same topographic level can cause sticky spots but tend to collect lubricating water and thus are unlikely to support a shear stress of more than a few tenths of a bar unless they contain abundant large bumps raised regions on the ice air surface also can cause moderate increases in the shear stress supported on the bed beneath surveys of large scale bedrock roughness strain grids across the margins of ice surface highs and possibly water pressure measurements in regions of thin or zero till would help identify and characterize sticky spots

rapid rise of sea level 19 000 years ago and its global implications evidence from the irish sea basin supports the existence of an abrupt rise in sea level meltwater pulse at 19 000 years before the present b p climate records indicate a large reduction in the strength of north atlantic deep water formation and attendant cooling of the north atlantic at this time indicating a source of the meltwater pulse from one or more northern hemisphere ice sheets warming of the tropical atlantic and pacific oceans and the southern hemisphere also began at 19 000 years b p these responses identify mechanisms responsible for the propagation of deglacial climate signals to the southern hemisphere and tropics while maintaining a cold climate in the northern hemisphere

geochemistry and paleotectonic setting of felsic volcanic rocks in the finlayson lake volcanic hosted massive sulfide district yukon canada the finlayson lake volcanic hosted massive sulfide vhms district represents one of canada s most recent vhms discovery regions with 34 million metric tons mt of massive sulfide mineralization found since the mid 1990s felsic volcanic rocks are associated with three units the fire lake unit the kudz ze kayah unit and the wolverine succession significant accumulations of polymetallic felsic vhms deposits kudz ze kayah gp4f and wolverine have only been discovered in the kudz ze kayah unit and wolverine succession to date in the hanging wall of the money creek thrust felsic volcanic and high level intrusive rocks in the fire lake unit have calc alkalic and tholeiitic affinities with low high field strength element hfse contents and intermediate zr sc 9 4 43 4 and zr tio2 254 864 ratios these rocks are interlayered with mafic rocks with arc geochemical signatures to date devoid of significant vhms mineralization and represent bimodal magmatism within an evolving devonian mississippian continental arc system the kudz ze kayah unit in the footwall of the money creek thrust stratigraphically overlies the fire lake unit and consists of felsic volcanic rocks with high hfse contents within plate a type signatures and high zr sc 15 3 190 3 and zr tio2 630 2 185 ratios the kudz ze kayah unit felsic rocks are crosscut and overlain by alkalic mafic rocks are associated with abundant carbonaceous sedimentary rocks and represent magmatism within a devonian mississippian ensialic back arc rift basin environment the wolverine succession unconformably overlies the kudz ze kayah unit felsic rocks below the wolverine deposit have geochemical attributes similar to the kudz ze kayah unit with high hfse contents within plate a type signatures and high zr sc 29 9 84 2 and zr tio2 391 1 220 ratios in contrast aphyric rhyolite flows in the hanging wall of the deposit have much lower hfse contents and the lowest zr sc 3 5 27 7 and zr tio2 181 591 ratios in the district all the felsic rocks of the wolverine succession are interlayered with abundant carbonaceous sedimentary rocks and are overlain by midocean ridge basalt morb like basaltic rocks the wolverine succession is interpreted to have formed within an early mississippian ensialic back arc basin environment that eventually evolved to sea floor spreading the variation in the hfse budgets of the felsic rocks of the finlayson lake district likely reflects variations in the source and or temperature of crustal melting in particular felsic rocks of the fire lake unit have higher nb ta and lower ti sc ratios than other volcanic rocks in the district suggesting possible derivation from mafic crustal sources and or lower crustal fusion temperatures the kudz ze kayah unit and footwall rocks to the wolverine deposit are inferred to have formed from high temperature partial melting of continental crust the hanging wall aphyric rhyolites from the wolverine deposit may have formed from either lower temperature continental crustal melting or may have been derived from the mixing of hfse depleted n morb mafic magmas and evolved continental crust polymetallic felsic volcanic associated vhms deposits within the finlayson lake district are preferentially associated with hfse enriched felsic rocks with high zr sc 15 3 190 3 and zr tio2 391 2 105 ratios the hfse and rare earth element ree systematics of vhms associated felsic rocks of the finlayson lake district are different from prospective felsic rocks from archean vhms environments in the superior province and are displaced toward higher zr y and la ybn ratios their hfse and ree systematics are similar to many phanerozoic vhms environments in particular those at least partially to fully underlain by evolved continental crust the geochemical differences between the felsic rocks of the finlayson lake district and those from archean vhms environments most likely reflect differences in the substrates from which the felsic rocks were derived e g evolved versus juvenile

geochemistry of the host rocks of the volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit at que river tasmania que river is a moderate sized high grade polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit located in the cambrian mount read volcanics of western tasmania several subvertical lenses of massive sulfide occur in a sequence dominated by variably altered intermediate to silicic volcaniclastic rocks the sequence was deformed and regionally metamorphosed to prehnite pumpellyite facies during the devonian approximately 240 host rock samples have been analyzed in an attempt to determine their primary geochemical affinities and to evaluate the geochemical effects of alteration on binary variation diagrams elements such as zr nb y ti and al define linear fields that characteristically project toward the origin the linear behavior of these elements on such plots is in marked contrast to that of almost all other elements which show very complex distribution patterns the linear patterns are interpreted to reflect immobility of the components mentioned with movement up and down the linear arrays being controlled by concentration or dilution due to subtraction or addition of other components thus primary ratios between immobile components have been preserved and can therefore be used to infer the primary geochemical affinities of the altered rocks the intersection point of the linear trends defined by the que river rocks with a low pressure fractional crystallization trend defined by cenozoic orogenic lavas probably provides the best estimate of the initial composition of the rocks prior to alteration in a plot of zr tio 2 vs nb y the que river rocks define a restricted area dominantly in the fields defined by modern andesite and dacite rhyodacite basalts and rhyolites are apparently absent in terms of their primary geochemical affinities the host rocks of the mineralization are probably best described as a high k calc alkaline suite similar in many ways to modern continental margin andesitic rocks however the que river rocks are by comparison abnormally depleted in ti and enriched in transition metals such as ni cr and v the geochemistry of alteration is complex and not readily amenable to quantitative evaluation elements such as fe mg and mn have been added to the system whereas ca and na have been removed both si and k have been partly remobilized during alteration among the major and minor elements mn shows the greatest relative enrichment over its inferred primary abundance however the mn anomalies are sporadic and do not define a neat halo although most of the observed geochemical alteration appears to have accompanied mineralization the andesites have been modified from their inferred primary compositions probably during the regional metamorphism hydrothermal alteration is not symmetrical about the ore lenses although the presently observed displacement between the massive sulfide lenses and the alteration halo is probably due largely to the devonian deformation it is possible that there is also a primary component the apparent immobility of al implies that the abundant phyllosilicates whose development is clearly related to mineralization do not represent simple chemical precipitates or sediments rather their development would appear to be controlled by the local availability of immobile al

a groove ploughing theory for the production of mega scale glacial lineations and implications for ice stream mechanics mega scale glacial lineations msgls are longitudinally aligned corrugations ridge groove structures 6 100 km long in sediment produced subglacially they are indicators of fast flow and a common signature of ice stream beds we develop a qualitative theory that accounts for their formation and use numerical modelling and observations of ice stream beds to provide supporting evidence ice in contact with a rough scale of 10 10 3 m bedrock surface will mimic the form of the bed because of flow acceleration and convergence in ice stream onset zones the ice base roughness elements experience transverse strain transforming them from irregular bumps into longitudinally aligned keels of ice protruding downwards where such keels slide across a soft sedimentary bed they plough through the sediments carving elongate grooves and deforming material up into intervening ridges this explains msgls and has important implications for ice stream mechanics groove ploughing provides the means to acquire new lubricating sediment and to transport large volumes of it downstream keels may provide basal drag in the force budget of ice streams thereby playing a role in flow regulation and stability we speculate that groove ploughing permits significant ice stream widening thus facilitating high magnitude ice discharge

detrital zircon record of neogene exhumation of the central alaska range a far field upper plate response to flat slab subduction far field deformation in the upper plate of many ancient and modern convergent margins is commonly attributed to flat slab subduction processes recent studies have suggested that the high topography of the central alaska range alaska usa for example is the far field deformational response to neogene shallow subduction processes in southern alaska in this study we analyze six stratigraphically controlled detrital zircon samples from miocene pliocene sandstone of the tanana foreland basin to evaluate the temporal and spatial links between exhumation of the central alaska range and shallow subduction the tanana basin located north of the central alaska range contains 2 km of neogene strata lower miocene strata from the basin have detrital zircon ages with dominant precambrian populations these grain ages are attributed to sediment derivation from the yukon composite terrane source area located at the northern edge and north of the alaska range during the early middle miocene the provenance of the tanana basin switched to a distinctly mesozoic source signal these mesozoic age grains are attributed to sediment derived from source areas within and south of the alaska range the early middle miocene change in provenance from predominantly precambrian to mesozoic sediment sources in the context of previously published basin analysis studies is interpreted to represent the onset of neogene uplift of the central alaska range the timing of exhumation of the central alaska range is important not only for understanding the tectonics of the highest mountain range in north america but additionally because recent modeling studies predict that this range is one of the first expected products of neogene flat slab subduction along the southern alaska convergent plate boundary results of our study provide a needed chronologic framework to fully evaluate the temporal and spatial upper plate responses to shallow subduction processes

petrology and u pb geochronology of footwall porphyritic rhyolites from the wolverine volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit yukon canada implications for the genesis of massive sulfide deposits in continental margin environments porphyritic rhyolite sills form an important component of the footwall of the wolverine volcanogenic massive sulfide vms deposit yukon canada and occur proximal to mineralization in the immediate deposit area wolverine lynx zone and at similar stratigraphic levels along strike fisher puck and sable zones porphyritic rhyolites are of two types an older quartz feldspar porphyritic qfp rhyolite suite and a younger feldspar porphyritic fp suite both the qfp and fp suites of intrusions are semiconcordant suggesting a silllike morphology and are altered and crosscut by veinlet mineralization suggesting that they are pre to synmineralization the margins of qfp suite of intrusions contain minor xenoliths of surrounding shales and poorly developed chilled margins suggesting emplacement into partially consolidated sedimentary rocks whereas the fp suite of intrusions shows well developed chilled margins indicative of emplacement into fully solidified sedimentary rock these features suggest that the qfp suite of intrusions represents an older phase of rhyolitic magmatism whereas the fp suite represents a younger event this is supported by u pb zircon ages which indicate a 352 4 1 5 ma emplacement age for the fp suite and a 347 to 346 ma emplacement for the fp suite two ages at 347 8 1 3 and 346 0 2 2 ma both suites of porphyries have inherited proterozoic zircon and have ratios of la smucn 1 and nb thucn 1 ucn upper continental crust normalized indicating derivation from and or extensive interaction with ancient upper continental crustal materials the fp suite however has elevated high field strength element hfse and rare earth element ree contents high zircon saturation temperatures and higher nb ta ratios and lower ti sc ratios than the qfp suite these features are interpreted to reflect that the fp suite of magmas was hotter 900 c melts with a greater mantle component in their genesis both suites however are interpreted to have formed due to basaltic upwelling crustal melting and crust mantle mixing during ensialic back arc basin activity the presence of mantle heat within the wolverine basin from 352 to 347 to 346 ma a minimum of 5 m y suggests that sustained mantle heat flow was critical to the genesis of the wolverine porphyries it is also suggested that this sustained mantle heat was responsible for the wolverine hydrothermal system and that upwelling mantle may be essential in providing the heat to drive hydrothermal systems even in continental margin type vms environments e g bathurst iberian pyrite belt the wolverine porphyries are among the most hfse and ree enriched felsic rocks associated with vms mineralization globally the high hfse and ree concentrations in these rocks are interpreted to be due to

bedrock megagrooves in assynt nw scotland geological mapping in assynt nw scotland has identified three areas of large scale linear bedrock grooving these closely spaced subparallel megagrooves occur predominantly on cambrian quartzite are not structurally controlled and trend generally in the direction of palaeo ice flow on the basis of geomorphological evidence most notably erosional relationships and s forms it is proposed that the megagrooves formed at the base of the last main late devensian ice sheet and are chiefly the result of high energy subglacial meltwater erosion the unusual concentration of bedrock cut nye channels in assynt indicates the presence of large volumes of meltwater beneath the last ice sheet in this region of nw scotland this high discharge of meltwater was probably accompanied by localized fast ice sheet flow akin to present day ice streams it is suggested that bedrock megagrooves may be the geomorphological signature of ice stream onset zones

the behaviour of so called immobile elements in hydrothermally altered rocks associated with volcanogenic submarine exhalative ore deposits evidence is available that some elements notably zr tio2 y sc ce and nb are largely immobile during the alteration of volcanic rocks owing to metamorphism hydrothermal events and weathering e g floyd and winchester 1978 however it is shown by reference to analyses of rocks from the environment of five volcanogenic massive sulphide bodies that while zr tio2 and ce are mostly immobile even during intense hydrothermal alteration y and particularly sc and nb may be extremely mobile when elements are removed by solution in a hydrothermal fluid it seems that reaction rates are such that these elements are almost totally removed from the rock therefore of the so called immobile trace elements only zr and tio2 may be used with any reliability to identify the degree of magmatic differentiation in an hydrothermally altered rock however if an element has been mobile it is usually readily identified as having moved

the last ice sheet in north west scotland reconstruction and implications recent models of the last scottish ice sheet suggest that nunataks remained above the ice surface in areas peripheral to the main centres of accumulation this proposition has been investigated on 140 mountains over an area of 10 000 km2 in nw scotland outside the limits of the later loch lomond readvance in this area there is evidence for a single high level weathering limit that separates glacially eroded terrain from higher areas of in situ frost debris this limit occurs at altitudes ranging from 425 to 450 m in the outer hebrides to 950 m on the mainland and is best developed on lithologies that resisted breakdown after ice sheet downwastage interpretation of this weathering limit as a periglacial trimline cut by the last ice sheet at its maximum thickness is supported by 1 joint depth and schmidt hammer measurements that indicate significantly more advanced rock breakdown above the weathering limit 2 a much greater representation of gibbsite a pre late devensian weathering product in the clay fraction of soils above the limit 3 cosmogenic isotope dating of the exposure ages of rock outcrops above and below the limit 4 the sharpness of the limit at some sites and its regular decline along former ice flowlines and 5 shear stress calculations based on the inferred altitude and gradient of the former ice surface reconstruction of the ice surface based on trimline evidence indicates that the mainland ice shed lay near or slightly east of the present watershed and descended northwards from 900 m to ca 550 m at the north coast independent dispersion centres fed broad ice streams that occupied major troughs on skye an ice dome 800 m deflected the northwestwards movement of mainland ice but the mountains of rum were over ridden by mainland ice up to an altitude of ca 700 m the outer hebrides supported an independent ice cap that was confluent with mainland ice in the minches extrapolation of the trimline evidence indicates that most reconstructions of ice extent are too conservative and suggests that low gradient ice streams extended across the hebridean shelf offshore wider implications of this research are 1 that blockfields and other periglacial weathering covers are not all of the same age or significance depending on the resistance of different lithologies to frost weathering 2 that the contrasting degree of glacial modification in the western and eastern highlands of scotland may reflect a former cover of predominantly warm based ice in the former and predominantly cold based ice in the latter and 3 that the approach and techniques developed in this study have potential application for constraining ice sheet models not only in areas peripheral to the main centres of ice accumulation in britain and ireland but also in other mountain areas where nunataks protruded through warm based late pleistocene ice masses

the setting style and role of magmatism in the formation of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits throughout earth s history all volcanogenic massive sulfide vms hosting environments are associated with specific assemblages of mafic and felsic rocks with distinct petrochemistry petrochemical assemblages indicative of formation at anomalously high temperatures within extensional geodynamic environments in mafic dominated juvenile ophiolitic vms environments there is a preferential association with mafic rocks with boninite and low ti tholeiite mid ocean ridge basalt morb and or back arc basin basalt affinities representing forearc rifting or back arc initiation mid ocean ridges or back arc basin spreading or back arc basins respectively felsic rocks in juvenile oceanic arc environments in archean terrains are high field strength element hfse and rare earth element ree enriched in post archean juvenile oceanic arc terrains felsic rocks are commonly hfse and ree depleted and have boninite like to tholeiitic signatures in vms environments that are associated with continental crust i e continental arc and back arc and dominated by felsic volcanic and or sedimentary rocks evolved environments felsic rocks are the dominant hosts to mineralization and are generally hfse and ree enriched with calc alkalic a type and or peralkalic affinities representing continental arc rifts continental back arcs and continental back arcs to continental rifts respectively coeval mafic rocks in evolved environments have alkalic within plate ocean island basalt like and morb signatures that represent arc to back arc rift versus back arc spreading respectively the high temperature magmatic activity in vms environments is directly related to the upwelling of mafic magma beneath rifts in extensional geodynamic environments e g mid ocean ridges back arc basins and intra arc rifts underplated basaltic magma provides the heat required to drive hydrothermal circulation extensional geodynamic activity also provides accommodation space at the base of the lithosphere that allows for the underplated basalt to drive hydrothermal circulation and induce crustal melting the latter leading to the formation of vms associated rhyolites in felsic dominated and bimodal vms environments rifts also provide extensional faults and the permeability and porosity required for recharge and discharge of vms related hydrothermal fluids rifts are also critical in creating environments conducive to preservation of vms mineralization either through shielding massive sulfides from seafloor weathering and mass wasting or by creating environments conducive to the precipitation of subseafloor replacement style mineralization in sedimented rifts subvolcanic intrusions are also products of the elevated heat flow regime common to vms forming environments shallow level intrusive complexes i e within 1 3 km of the seafloor may not be the main drivers of vms related hydrothermal circulation but are likely the manifestation of deeper seated mantle derived heat i e 3 10 km depth that drives hydrothermal circulation these shallower intrusive complexes are commonly long lived i e millions of years and reflect a sustained thermally anomalous geodynamic environment such a thermally anomalous environment has the potential to drive significant hydrothermal circulation and therefore multi phase long lived subvolcanic intrusive complexes are excellent indicators of a potentially fertile vms environment the absence of intrusive complexes however does not indicate an area of low potential as they may have been moved or removed due to post vms tectonic activity in some cases shallow level intrusive systems contribute metals to the vms hydrothermal system

origin and diagenesis of lignin and carbohydrates in mangrove sediments of guadeloupe french west indies evidence for a two step evolution of organic deposits the mangroves of grande terre island guadeloupe french west indies are known to store large amounts of organic carbon and organic rich sediments have been described to several meters depth the purpose of the present work was to precisely determine the molecular composition carbohydrates and lignin derived phenols of these organic deposits in relationship with environmental conditions it was found that within the upper meter of the cores geochemical data displayed the classical degradation pattern of organic matter om deriving from higher plants on the one hand carbohydrates from mangrove tissues underwent fast decomposition other compounds being simultaneously synthesized by bacteria on the other hand lignin phenols were lost rather slowly i e at a similar or lower rate than toc their distribution with depth evidencing various lignin decomposition pathways depending on redox conditions the position of the swamp with respect to salt and fresh water tables strongly influenced these conditions at depth results revealed an organic rich layer which was characterized by surprisingly well preserved om with regard to sugar and phenol compositions we speculate that the preservation of these compounds might be explained by a rapid and permanent flooding of the mangrove stands that may have occurred more than a thousand years ago we suggest that the geodynamic context i e the recurrent seismic activity recorded in guadeloupe may have induced such a flooding resulting in the preservation of this om

trace element budgets in the ohio sunbury shales of kentucky constraints on ocean circulation and primary productivity in the devonian mississippian appalachian basin abstract the hydrography of the appalachian basin in late devonian early mississippian time is modeled based on the geochemistry of black shales and constrained by others paleogeographic reconstructions the model supports a robust exchange of basin bottom water with the open ocean with residence times of less than forty years during deposition of the cleveland shale member of the ohio shale this is counter to previous interpretations of these carbon rich units having accumulated under a stratified and stagnant water column i e with a strongly restricted bottom bottom water circulation a robust circulation of bottom waters is further consistent with the palaeoclimatology whereby eastern trade winds drove upwelling and arid conditions limited terrestrial inputs of siliciclastic sediment fresh waters and riverine nutrients the model suggests that primary productivity was high 2 g c m 2 d 1 although no higher than in select locations in the ocean today the flux of organic carbon settling through the water column and its deposition on the sea floor was similar to fluxes found in modern marine environments calculations based on the average accumulation rate of the marine fraction of ni suggest the flux of organic carbon settling out of the water column was approximately 9 of primary productivity versus an accumulation rate burial of organic carbon of 0 5 of primary productivity trace element ratios of v mo and cr mo in the marine sediment fraction indicate that bottom waters shifted from predominantly anoxic sulfate reducing during deposition of the huron shale member of the ohio shale to predominantly suboxic nitrate reducing during deposition of the cleveland shale member and the sunbury shale but with anoxic conditions occurring intermittently throughout this period

new boundary conditions for the west antarctic ice sheet subglacial topography beneath pine island glacier 1 predictions about future changes in the amundsen sea sector of the west antarctic ice sheet wais have been hampered by poorly known subglacial topography extensive airborne survey has allowed us to derive improved subglacial topography for the pine island glacier basin the trunk of this glacier lies in a narrow 250 km long 500 m deep sub glacial trough suggesting a long lived and constrained ice stream two tributaries lie in similar troughs others lie in less defined shallower troughs the lower basin of the glacier is surrounded by bedrock which after deglaciation and isostatic rebound could rise above sea level this feature would impede ice sheet collapse initiated near the grounding line of this glacier and prevent its progress into the deepest portions of wais the inland slope of the bed beneath the trunk of the glacier however confirms potential instability of the lower basin containing sufficient ice to raise global sea by 24 cm

geomorphological criteria for identifying pleistocene ice streams ice streams are critical regulatory mechanisms in contemporary ice sheets it has been inferred that they also had a significant effect on the dynamics of former ice sheets subsequently many people have invoked their widespread occurrence from a variety of formerly glaciated areas hypothesised locations however have often outweighed meaningful evidence this paper addresses the problem using the characteristics of contemporary ice streams as a basis for their identification from former ice sheet beds a convergence of knowledge gained from contemporary ice stream research coupled with theories of glacial geomorphology allows several geomorphological criteria to be identified as suggestive signatures of ice stream activity it is envisaged that the geomorphological criteria developed here will introduce a more objective approach to the study of former ice streams the criteria are used to construct conceptual land system models of the beds of former ice streams and it is hoped such models can provide an observational template upon which hypotheses of former ice streams can be better based

geomorphological signature and flow dynamics of the minch palaeo ice stream northwest scotland large scale streamlined glacial landforms are identified in 11 areas of northwest scotland from the isle of skye in the south to the butt of lewis in the north these ice directional features occur in bedrock and superficial deposits generally below 350 m above sea level and where best developed have elongation ratios of 20 1 sidescan sonar and multibeam echo sounding data from the minch show elongate streamlined ridges and grooves on the seabed with elongation ratios of up to 70 1 these bedforms are interpreted as mega scale glacial lineations all the features identified formed beneath the minch palaeo ice stream which was ca 200 km long up to 50 km wide and drained ca 15 000 km2 of the northwest sector of the last british irish ice sheet late devensian glaciation nine ice stream tributaries and palaeo onset zones are also identified on the basis of geomorphological evidence the spatial distribution and pattern of streamlined bedforms around the minch has enabled the catchment flow paths and basal shear stresses of the palaeo ice stream and its tributaries to be tentatively reconstructed british geological survey natural environment research council copyright 2007 reproduced with the permission of bgs nerc published by john wiley sons ltd

rheological nonlinearity and flow instability in the deforming bed mechanism of ice stream motion contrary to what has recently been assumed in modeling the proposed deforming bed mechanism for the rapid motion of antarctic ice streams the rheology of water saturated till is probably highly nonlinear according to information from soil mechanics and preliminary experiments on till from the base of ice stream b the equivalent flow law exponent n is probably as high as 100 and the nonlinearities of the shear stress and effective pressure dependences are closely linked the high nonlinearity has important consequences for the deforming bed mechanism a flow system operating by this mechanism can be unstable as a result of feedback from the generation of basal water by shear heating of basal till the short term feedback effect is analyzed for a perturbation in a model ice stream in which the basal meltwater is transported through a distributed system of narrow gap conduits at the ice till interface although the analysis is approximate and some of the system parameters are poorly known the results suggest that the deforming bed mechanism is unstable for n 20 the apparent lack of such an instability in the currently active ice streams implies that their motion is controlled not by the deforming bed mechanism but by some other as yet unidentified mechanism

a marine biogeochemical perspective on black shale deposition abstract deposition of marine black shales has commonly been interpreted as having involved a high level of marine phytoplankton production that promoted high settling rates of organic matter through the water column and high burial fluxes on the seafloor or anoxic sulfidic water column conditions that led to high levels of preservation of deposited organic matter or a combination of the two processes here we review the hydrography and the budgets of trace metals and phytoplankton nutrients in two modern marine basins that have permanently anoxic bottom waters this information is then used to hindcast the hydrography and biogeochemical conditions of deposition of a black shale of late jurassic age the kimmeridge clay formation yorkshire england from its trace metal and organic carbon content comparison of the modern and jurassic sediment compositions reveals that the rate of photic zone primary productivity in the kimmeridge sea based on the accumulation rate of the marine fraction of ni was as high as 840 g organic carbon m 2 yr 1 this high level was possibly tied to the maximum rise of sea level during the late jurassic that flooded this and other continents sufficiently to allow major open ocean boundary currents to penetrate into epeiric seas sites of intense upwelling of nutrient enriched seawater would have been transferred from the continental margins their present location onto the continents this global flooding event was likely responsible for deposition of organic matter enriched sediments in other marine basins of this age several of which today host major petroleum source rocks bottom water redox conditions in the kimmeridge sea deduced from the v mo ratio in the marine fraction of the kimmeridge clay formation varied from oxic to anoxic but were predominantly suboxic or denitrifying a high settling flux of organic matter a result of the high primary productivity supported a high rate of bacterial respiration that led to the depletion of o2 in the bottom water a high rate of burial of labile organic matter albeit a low percentage of primary productivity in turn promoted anoxic conditions in the sediment pore waters that enhanced retention of trace metals deposited from the water column

peralkaline and calc alkaline hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the bonnifield district east central alaska volcanogenic massive sulfide vms zn pb cu ag au deposits of the bonnifield mining district formed during late devonian early mississippian magmatism along the western edge of laurentia the largest deposits dry creek and wtf have a combined resource of 5 7 million tonnes at 10 zn 4 pb 0 3 cu 300 grams per tonne g t ag and 1 6 g t au these polymetallic deposits are hosted in high field strength element hfse and rare earth element ree rich peralkaline pantelleritic metarhyolite and interlayered pyritic argillite and mudstone of the mystic creek member of the totatlanika schist formation mystic creek metarhyolite and alkali basalt chute creek member constitute a bimodal pair that formed in an extensional environment a synvolcanic peralkaline quartz porphyry containing veins of fluorite sphalerite pyrite and quartz intrudes the central footwall at dry creek the anderson mountain deposit located 32 km to the southwest occurs within calc alkaline felsic to intermediate composition metavolcanic rocks and associated graphitic argillite of the wood river assemblage felsic metavolcanic rocks there have only slightly elevated hfses and rees the association of abundant graphitic and siliceous argillite with the felsic volcanic rocks together with low cu contents in the bonnifield deposits suggests classification as a siliciclastic felsic type of vms deposit bonnifield massive sulfides and host rocks were metamorphosed and deformed under greenschist facies conditions in the mesozoic primary depositional textures generally uncommon consist of framboids framboidal aggregates and spongy masses of pyrite sphalerite the predominant base metal sulfide encloses early pyrite framboids galena and chalcopyrite accompanied early pyrite formation but primarily formed late in the paragenetic sequence silver rich tetrahedrite is a minor late phase at the dry creek deposit gold and ag are present in low to moderate amounts in pyrite from all of the deposits electrum inclusions occur in dry creek sphalerite contents and ratios of trace elements in graphitic argillite that serve as proxies for the redox state of the bottom waters in the basin indicate that dry creek mineralization took place in suboxic to periodically anoxic bottom waters trace element data show higher contents of tl mn as in pyrite from the anderson mountain deposit compared to the dry creek or wtf deposits and thus suggest that anderson mountain may have formed at lower temperatures or under slightly more oxidizing conditions no exact modern analogue for the tectonic setting of the bonnifield vms deposits is known although the back arc regions of the okinawa trough and woodlark basin satisfy the requirement for a submarine extensional setting adjacent to a continental margin limited occurrences of peralkaline volcanic rocks occur in these two potential analogues but the peralkalinity of those rocks is much less than that of the mystic creek member metarhyolites in the bonnifield district the highly elevated trace element e g zr nb contents of mystic creek metarhyolites suggest that a better analogue may be a submarine rifted continental margin the calc alkaline composition of the host rocks to the anderson mountain deposit suggests that mineralization there formed in a continental margin arc outboard of the extended continental margin setting of the peralkaline hosted dry creek and wtf deposits

carbon sulfur iron systematics of the uppermost deep water sediments of the black sea box cores recovered during leg 4 of the 1988 r v knorr black sea oceanographic expedition from deep water regions of the basin were dominated by coccolith rich microlaminated unit 1 sediment and muddy gray turbidite layers both organic carbon oc and pyrite sulfur values for unit 1 display narrow ranges with mean concentrations of 5 3 1 1 1 wt and 1 3 0 3 wt respectively unit 1 is not enriched in pyrite s relative to sediments deposited under oxygenated bottom waters normal marine sediments with comparable oc concentrations carbon sulfur relationships evaluated on a calcium carbonate free basis to avoid spurious correlations resulting from dilution effects demonstrate that oc and pyrite s are essentially decoupled these observations combined with the persistence of elevated pore water sulfide to depth and a strong correlation between pyrite s and the detrital fe component argue strongly for limitation of pyrite formation in unit 1 by the availability of reactive fe unit 1 fe limitation is further indicated by degree of pyritization dop studies a measure of the extent to which the original potentially reactive fe has been transformed to pyrite these studies show sulfidation of reactive fe ranging from 57 to 78 with dop values independent of oc concentration unit 1 dop profiles suggest that the majority of the pyrite is formed in the sulfidic water column and or very close to the sediment water interface pyrite s concentrations of unit 1 when compared with the particulate reduced sulfur fluxes measured in time series sediment traps are compatible with predominantly water column pyrite formation because of the limitations in the supply of reactive fe associated with the comparatively high supply of oc the microlaminated sediment is characterized by c s ratios greater than those typical of holocene oxically deposited sediments the turbidite muds of the deep basin display high reduced s values relative to holocene normal marine sediments in samples with low oc concentrations low c s ratios this reflects pyrite formation under anoxic sulfidic bottom water conditions in a probable upper slope source region as well as during transport and final deposition intermediate dop values for the turbidites in part a product of their rapid rate of deposition reveal that fe limitation is ultimately not a factor and that further pyrite should form during burial however the very rapid rate at which unit 1 pyrite forms suggests fundamental differences between the overall reactivities of the fe phases associated with the microlaminated and turbiditic sediments the signature of water column anoxia with regard to sedimentary pyrite formation is clearly indicated by the high dop values of unit 1 and the comparatively high levels of s associated with the low concentrations of oc of the turbidite muds this agrees with similar conclusions based on studies of ancient sedimentary rocks

petrogenetic evolution of felsic volcanic sequences associated with phanerozoic volcanic hosted massive sulphide systems the role of extensional geodynamics abstract felsic volcanic hosted massive sulphide deposits form in many different geotectonic environments usually associated with episodes of extension however empirical geochemical links between felsic volcanism geotectonic environment and extensional geodynamics have not been adequately documented so as to distill the fundamental relationships between these features and formation of volcanic hosted massive sulphide vhms mineralization which is important considering most vhms deposits are hosted in felsic volcanic bearing sequences using felsic geochemical data from six different vhms mineralized phanerozoic geotectonic settings it seems that the felsic geochemical data are consistent with the overall geotectonic interpretations for these areas which in turn helps in stratigraphic and geotectonic interpretations for detailed vhms exploration in extensional geodynamic settings bimodal volcanism is common compared to the continuum of compositions observed under compressional to neutral high stress regimes in calc alkaline arc building environments the empirical geochemical metallogenic vhms relationships evident in the archean felsic volcanic rocks in particular the low zr y n yb n 2 o conditions in different source areas and geotectonic environments they seem to be the predominant controls on the compositional evolution of felsic magmas in extensional settings because of the limited degree of assimilation and fractional crystallization afc affecting their compositions with rapid intrusion into the uppermost crust to positions were they achieve neutral buoyancy in the volcanic to subvolcanic environment within plate felsic or a type anorogenic type and anomalous ocean ridge or type felsic magmas that have tholeiitic affinities relatively low alkali elements are common within parts of the volcanic sequences hosting massive sulphide deposits reflecting in part a relationship to extension the high contents of high field strength elements zr ga lree hree y nb etc and other lines of evidence indicate they are relatively high temperature relatively reduced magmas probably derived from previously dehydrated granulitic or melted oceanic simatic or continental sialic crust low p granulites or amphibolites but also in some cases possibly mantle rocks such that they are significantly water undersaturated during melting i e a h 2 o 1 reduced viscosities typical of high temperature melts enable rapid intrusion to higher levels diking vs diapirism higher rates of heat advection from mantle mafic magmas into the thickened oceanic and or continental crust during lithospheric extension are needed to facilitate melting of these rock to form a type and or or type partial melts tholeiitic felsic this usually results in bimodal magmatism as magma mixing is not favored in extensional settings especially at high magma production intrusion and extrusion rates i e high heat flow this would inhibit ferromagnesian phase in particular hornblende and magnetite fractionation especially at low f o 2 in the felsic magmas that would deplete the melt in y hree as well as ore related elements particularly zn which is 2 to 3 times higher in a type and or type rocks compared to other magma types therefore the empirical felsic igneous geochemical metallogenic relationships observed by others low zr y n yb n

u pb zircon and geochemical evidence for bimodal mid paleozoic magmatism and syngenetic base metal mineralization in the yukon tanana terrane alaska new shrimp sensitive high resolution ion microprobe u pb zircon ages and trace element geochemical data for mafic and felsic metaigneous rocks of the pericratonic yukon tanana terrane in east central alaska help define the tectonic setting of mid paleo zoic magmatism and syngenetic hydrothermal zn pb ag mineralization along the ancient pacific margin of north america we compare data from similar greenschist facies sequences of bimodal volcanic and subvolcanic rocks associated with carbonaceous and siliciclastic marine sedimentary rocks in the wood river area of the alaska range and the salcha river area of the yukon tanana upland and from amphibolite facies augen gneiss and mafic gneiss amphibolite in the goodpaster river area of the upland allowing for analytical uncertainties igneous crystallization age ranges of 376 353 ma 378 346 ma and 374 358 ma are indicated by 13 new shrimp u pb dates for the wood river salcha river and goodpaster river areas respectively bimodal magmatism is indicated by late devonian crystallization ages for both augen gneiss 371 3 and 362 4 ma and associated orthoamphibolite 369 3 ma in the upland and by stratigraphic interleaving of mafic and felsic rocks in the alaska range metabasites in all three study areas have elevated hfse high field strength element and ree rare earth element contents indicative of generation in a within plate extensional tectonic setting within plate trace element signatures also are indicated for peralkaline metarhyolites that host the largest volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the bonnifield district in the wood river area and for metarhyolite tuff interlayered with the carbonaceous nasina assemblage which hosts sedimentary exhalative sulfide occurrences in the salcha river area most of the other felsic metaigneous samples from the alaska range and the yukon tanana upland have geochemical signatures that are similar to those of both average upper continental crust and continental margin arc rocks generated in thick continental crust given the absence in our study areas of intermediate composition magmatic products generally found in most arcs and the presence of bimodal magmatism the alkalic within plate chemistry of the mafic rocks and some of the felsic rocks and the widespread occurrence of interlayered carbonaceous sedimentary rocks indicative of deposition within a restricted marine basin or submerged continental margin we consider it most likely that this prolonged late devonian to early mississippian magmatic episode resulted from attenuation of the ancient continental margin of western north america rather than development of an arc as proposed by many others

ore metamorphism and pyrite porphyroblast development at the cherokee mine ducktown tennessee very large pyrite porphyroblasts are a striking feature of the metamorphosed massive pyrrhotite rich sulfide ores at ducktown tennessee the crystals up to 300 mm across are commonly euhedral but exhibit varying degrees of elongation and postgrowth fracturing and granulation the inclusion patterns within the various porphyroblasts indicate growth before during and after the development of schistosity in the silicate gangue the sphalerite inclusions within single porphyroblasts show no systematic compositional variations from core to rim partly because the larger porphyroblasts were formed by the aggregation of numerous growing pyrite grains and partly because fractures and chalcopyrite allowed many of the sphalerite inclusions to reequilibrate at lower temperatures and pressures sphalerite inclusions surrounding single growth centers which were selected to avoid reequilibration problems show that they grew at a nearly constant pressure of 6 8 or 0 8 kb this information is used to relate the growth of the pyrite porphyroblasts to the pressure temperature evolution of the deposit pyrrhotite which forms the matrix for the porphyroblasts ranges compositionally from 47 4 at percent fe in the matrix to 47 7 at percent fe immediately adjacent to the pyrite crystals chalcopyrite commonly occurs as fracture fillings and as pressure shadows adjacent to the pyrite porphyroblasts minor sphalerite galena and magnetite are present gangue minerals are dominantly quartz calcite sheet silicates actinolite and talc

anoxia vs productivity what controls the formation of organic carbon rich sediments and sedimentary rocks discussion the prevailing explanation for the origin of organic rich sediments and rocks invokes deposition under conditions of anoxia however recent research suggests that high primary production and not water column anoxia provides the first order control on the accumulation of organic rich facies in the modern oceans oxygen minima do not appear to have any direct effect on carbon accumulation in continental margin or marginal sea environments sediments accumulating in the modern black sea the type euxinic basin are not particularly enriched in organic matter despite the presence of an anoxic water column although a sapropel containing extremely high carbon concentrations was deposited during the holocene at a time when the basin was oxic results of a recently published co pled ocean atmosphere model indicate that during the cretaceous thermohaline and surface circulation in the oceans was similar to or more intense than modern conditions despite the overall equable climate such conditions confound the idea that circulation in the cretaceous atlantic for example was punctuated by oceanic anoxic events brought about by more sluggish circulation sporadic temporal and spatial increases in primary production reflecting changes in the behavior and or state of the ocean atmosphere system constitute a more tenable explanation for the occurrence of modern and quaternary carbon rich sediments and cretaceous black shales consequently the fundamental control on the accumulation of carbon rich facies in the oceans and marginal seas is not the presence or absence of anoxia

geochemical variation within the northern ryukyu arc magma source compositions and geodynamic implications the major and trace element and pb sr nd isotopic compositions of quaternary mafic lavas from the northern ryukyu arc provide insights into the nature of the mantle wedge and its tectonic evolution beneath the volcanic front in the northern part of the arc the subducted slab of the philippine sea plate bends sharply and steepens at a depth of 80 km lavas from the volcanic front have high abundances of large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements relative to the high field strength elements consistent with the result of fluid enrichment processes related to dehydration of the subducting slab new pb isotopic data identify two distinct asthenospheric domains in the mantle wedge beneath the south kyushu and northern ryukyu arc which in a parallel with data from the lau basin appear to reflect mantle with affinities to indian and pacific type mid ocean ridge basalt morb indian ocean morb type mantle contaminated with subducted ryukyu sediments can account for the variation of lavas erupted on south kyushu and probably in the middle okinawa trough in contrast magmas of the northern ryukyu volcanic front appear to be derived from sources of pacific morb type mantle contaminated with a sedimentary component along arc variation in the northern ryukyus reflects increasing involvement of a sedimentary component to the south compositions of alkalic basalts from the south kyushu back arc resemble intraplate type basalts erupted in nw kyushu since 12 ma we propose that the bending of the subducted slab was either caused by or resulted in lateral migration of asthenospheric mantle yielding indian ocean type characteristics from a mantle upwelling zone beneath nw kyushu and the east china sea this model also accounts for 1 extensional counter clockwise crustal rotation 4 2 ma 2 voluminous andesite volcanism 2 ma and 3 the recent distinctive felsic magmatism in the south kyushu region

contemporaneous ascent of within plate type and island arc type magmas in the beppu shimabara graben system kyushu island japan abstract within plate wp type and island arc ia type magmas have erupted in north kyushu and south kyushu respectively during quaternary time the former is related to the eastern end of the east asian extensional province and the latter to the subduction zone of the philippine sea plate the beppu shimabara graben system in the central part of kyushu island is located in the area of overlap between them quaternary volcanic rock samples from the graben system can be chemically classified as wp and ia types by their multi element patterns and positions on a zr nb y discrimination diagram rocks of both type and of similar ages occur throughout the graben system furthermore the rocks of wp type give systematically higher 87sr 86sr ratios 0 7048 0 7049 than those of the associated ia type around 0 7040 the relations between 87sr 86sr and nb y ratios of the former are clearly distinguished from those of the latter these results demonstrate that this graben system is characterized by the contemporaneous ascents of wp and ia type magmas to the same quaternary volcanic areas such rivalrous ascents of wp and ia type magmas seem to be a common feature of magmatism associated with graben in extensional provinces related to subduction zones of island arcs and their boundary areas

the quaternary deposits and landforms of scotland and the neighbouring shelves a review abstract a thick sequence of quaternary sediments up to 1000 m has been deposited in the north sea basin and perhaps five major glacial episodes the first occurring prior to ca 1 8 2 1 ma bp and the last during the late devensian can be recognised between the glacial events periods of low salinity arctic marine or glacio marine sedimentation have been dominant although episodes of ameliorated climate when north atlantic drift waters had access to the north sea have been identified a number of horizons in separate boreholes have been correlated with the last interglacial oxygen isotope stage 5e and a sequence of water mass movements around the scottish coasts can be reconstructed for the last ca 125 ka on land sequences of quaternary deposits relating to several glacial and non glacial terrestrial and marine events occur in different areas but due to poor dating correlation between these sequences cannot yet be achieved in particular north east scotland has a complex glacial history with evidence for ice sheet glaciation on at least four occasions evidence from the outer hebrides north east scotland and the north sea basin indicates that the late devensian scottish ice sheet had a rather restricted extent only reaching a short distance offshore along much of the east and west coasts at this time ice free areas existed in north east scotland on the isle of lewis and probably in caithness and orkney whilst part of the outer shelf around st kilda was dry land a marine embayment extended down the east coast of scotland between the scottish and scandinavian ice sheets and independent ice caps existed on the outer hebrides and probably on shetland deglaciation of the greater part of the country took place prior to ca 13 ka bp whilst the climate was still very cold the ice retreat appears to have been orderly with stagnant ice masses being trapped only in topographically suitable locations a number of retreat stages or minor readvances occurred during the general deglaciation the firth of clyde was one of the last areas outside the highlands to be deglaciated and this occurred in a rapid possibly catastrophic fashion shortly prior to ca 13 ka bp despite the mild climate at the start of the lateglacial interstadial it is not known if there was complete deglaciation prior to the loch lomond readvance the readvance glaciers however may have started to advance during the latter part of the interstadial when declining terrestrial temperatures coincided with a period of mild marine conditions the loch lomond readvance maximum can only be dated to some time after ca 10 9 ka bp and it is likely that final ice free conditions were not achieved until the earliest holocene

a highly mobile laurentide ice sheet revealed by satellite images of glacial lineations satellite images of the north american continent reveal previously unrecognized patterns of crossing drift lineations reflecting unexpected shifts of centres of mass of the laurentide ice sheet throughout the last glacial cycle such shifts must must have been associated with major global atmospheric circulation changes

new data for the last glacial maximum in great britain and ireland abstract understanding the history of the british and irish ice sheet biis at the last glacial maximum lgm has been advanced by new approaches in particular by cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating aminostratigraphy of shelly glacial deposits ams radiocarbon dating and the evidence from continental margin marine cores all of which supersede the previously weak geochronologic control it was formerly believed that great britain and ireland was largely ice free between the last interglacial oxygen isotope sub stage 5e and the late devensian when the lgm occurred as such the biis was effectively out of phase with laurentide and scandinavian ice sheets as well as inferences of ice volume from oxygen isotope stratigraphy the biis during the late devensian maximum was also perceived as having been relatively stationary new evidence shows that the lgm was an important event during the evolution of an earlier biis when the extent of ice was greater repeated iceberg rafting events over the past 50 ka are shown by marine cores while the derivative inference of numerous corresponding glacial advances is supported by several clusters of 36 cl ages on glaciated surfaces and glacial boulders that are indicative of deglacial events between 40 and 12 ka these appear to be associated with heinrich events the earliest being inferred as heinrich 4 at about 40 ka during this advance the biis and scandinavian ice sheet sis were in contact and all of ireland was glaciated the ice sheet appears to have fluctuated several times between 40 and 25 ka although evidence for this is poorly preserved but the 36 cl and 14 c evidence is clear that the biis reached its lgm maximum size about 22 ka soon after heinrich event 2 when the biis and sis were not in contact one cluster of 36 cl and 14 c ages at 21 4 1 3 ka records an initial pulse of deglaciation that was followed by extensive deglaciation about 17 4 0 4 ka just before heinrich event 1 when the ice sheet readvanced contrary to previous views the biis probably existed throughout much of devensian time as a mobile and sensitive ice sheet during which the lgm advance was but one important event in places glacial deposits of the earlier devensian glaciation have previously been incorrectly identified as products of the later lgm glaciation

preglacial surface remnants and quaternary glacial regimes in northwestern sweden abstract we present a detailed map of the distribution of preglacial surface remnants in the kebnekaise region of northwestern sweden in this mountain area we discern four important large scale geomorphological units each representing a specific set of erosional agents and formative conditions these are i intact preglacial surface remnants characterized by gentle slopes round summits wide shallow valleys and an absence of rock basins ii preglacial surface remnants showing signs of minor glacial erosion and deposition iii glacially scoured surfaces including glacial troughs iv deep fluvial valleys cut into the preglacial surface the pattern of glacial erosion is explained as the result of three specific modes of glaciation known to have existed during the last 120 000 years and inferred to have repeatedly prevailed during the last 2 75 million years cirque glaciation mountain ice sheets and fennoscandian ice sheets a deep ocean oxygen isotope record of foraminifera from the north atlantic dsdp 607 was used to infer the temporal extent of these modes of glaciation during the last 2 75 million years we interpret the preglacial landscape preservation and the pattern of glacial erosion in terms of the configuration the basal thermal regime and the duration of such glaciation events the average subglacial thermal regime of both ice sheet types was frozen on the uplands and melting in the main valleys where outlet glaciers and ice streams formed the pre glacial landscape is best preserved at intermediate elevations low enough not to have been covered by cirque glaciers and apparently high enough not to have experienced melted bed conditions and subglacial erosion during ice sheet overriding events in a narrow high relief zone along the elevation axis interglacial fluvial erosion was morphologically important the absence of glacial erosion on uplands in this zone allowed fluvial erosion to commence on the same locations during each ice free interval in contrast no persistent fluvial valley pattern could develop in zones subjected to repeated glacial scouring and hence derangement of fluvial patterns

contrasting sulfur geochemistry and fe al and mo al ratios across the last oxic to anoxic transition in the cariaco basin venezuela an abrupt transition from oxic to anoxic sulfidic euxinic marine bottom waters occurred in the cariaco basin in response to increasing productivity resulting from the late pleistocene post glacial rise in sea level and corresponding increase in surface water nutrient availability the microlaminated sediments of the euxinic interval which span the last f14 5 ky suggest a predominance of water column syngenetic pyrite formation based on 1 high pyrite sulfur spy concentrations in the surficial sediment layers 2 values for degree of pyritization dop that generally do not increase appreciably with increasing burial 3 ratios of total iron fet to al that are elevated above the continental baseline recorded in the underlying oxic sediments and 4 spy isotope trends that largely mimic the d 34 shsof the modern water column intermediate dop values in the microlaminated deposits and fet al ratios that are slightly above continental levels indicate an iron reservoir controlled by scavenging during syngenetic pyrite formation in combination with intermediate rates of fe bearing siliciclastic accumulation as predicted from the relative rates of siliciclastic delivery fet al and dop data lie between end member values observed in the modern black sea as viewed broadly fet al and dop relationships in euxinic sediments reflect the balance between syngenetic fe scavenging and temporal and spatial gradients in siliciclastic input pyrite concentrations are generally low in the underlying oxic marine deposits because of limitations in the supply of organic carbon corg however the upper 80 cm of the fe rich corg poor bioturbated sediment show evidence for a strong diffusional hsoverprint from the overlying fe limited euxinic marine environment this post glacial transition manifests in pyrite overprints that are strongly 34 s depleted relative to those in restricted presently euxinic marine settings elsewhere in the world such as the black sea where the sedimentary sequence spanning the last glacial interglacial transition begins with a shift from freshwater to corg poor oxic marine deposition and thus dominantly sulfate diffusion trends for mo al ratios in the microlaminated sediments suggest that mo is enriched by roughly two orders of magnitude above the continental levels recorded in the oxic deposits organic matter plays a role by enhancing hsproduction and or by providing a substrate for mo scavenging significant mo enrichment via diffusion into the upper portion of the bioturbated zone was not observed despite hs rich pore waters as recorded in the heavy iron sulfide overprint we have

review of radiometric data from the yukon crystalline terrane alaska and yukon territory the results of more than 20 years of geochronological studies in the yukon crystalline terrane in east central alaska and the western yukon territory suggest at least six igneous and thermal metamorphic events plutonism during mississippian early jurassic mid cretaceous late cretaceous and early tertiary times is indicated evidence also indicates that mississippian early jurassic late early cretaceous and late cretaceous thermal metamorphic events have affected parts of the terrane the western part of the terrane was affected by a significant regional metamorphic event in late early cretaceous time followed by a terrane wide mid cretaceous plutonic event the pattern of k ar ages allows division of the terrane into domains bounded by northeast trending lineaments

drumlinization and drumlin forming instabilities viscous till mechanisms glacially induced flow naturally tends to thin and extended till cover through shock formation even in the absence of longitudinal gradients in the applied stress thicker till cover has an increased effective pressure at its surface and base a lower sliding velocity or deformation rate and above a critical thickness a decrease in wave velocity with thickness leading to reverse facing shocks moving downstream for sliding and for some theologies of internal deformation a decrease in sediment flux with thickness occurs implying backward moving kinematic waves and reverse facing reverse moving shock downstream facing shocks are also formed which move upstream if the till is sliding and downstream if the till is deforming internally eventually shocks coalesce leaving an upstream lacing shock for sliding and a downstream facing shock for internal deformation it is observed that some drumlins have downstream blunt ends only fairly realistic three dimensional drumlin shapes can be produced from symmetric sediment bodies and barchan shapes can be produced from linear forms perpendicular to the ice sheet flow the fact that viscous theories produce drumlinoid forms suggests that on this scale till behaves viscously and the the lower length scale for drumlins represents the plastic viscous transition scale

the vertical dimensions of late devensian glaciation on the mountains of harris and southeast lewis outer hebrides scotland on north harris and southeast lewis a weathering limit separates glacially moulded bedrock on low ground from frost shattered bedrock and blockfields on high plateaux analysis of the depths of horizontal stress release joints demonstrates significant contrasts in bedrock weathering above and below this boundary and the survival of gibbsite only in soils above the weathering limit indicates that it represents the upper limit of late devensian glacial erosion the weathering limit declines regularly in altitude on either side of the former ice shed and is therefore interpreted as a periglacial trimline defining the upper limit of a locally nourished ice mass at its maximum extent rather than a former thermal boundary between protective cold based and erosive warm based ice calculated basal shear stress values are consistent with this interpretation the configuration of the trimline indicates that at the last glacial maximum the area supported an ice cap that achieved a maximum altitude of ca 700 m above present sea level and declined in altitude to the west northwest and east southeast at an average gradient of ca 20 m km 1 extrapolation of the dimensions of this ice cap suggests that it terminated ca 7 10 km west of the present coast of harris and was confluent with mainland ice a short distance east of the present coastline

extreme sulfur isotope fractionation in the late devonian dry creek volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit central alaska abstract the dry creek zn pb cu ag au volcanogenic massive sulfide vms deposit in east central alaska occurs in a late devonian sequence of peralkaline rhyolite tuff minor graphitic argillite and local peralkaline quartz porphyry rhyolite intrusions principal mineralized facies are semi massive and massive sulfide in variably silicified and graphitic rhyolite tuff massive sulfide in graphitic argillite disseminated sulfides in graphitic and non graphitic rhyolite tuff and vein hosted sulfides in a subvolcanic peralkaline quartz porphyry intrusion in situ analysis of the sulfur isotope composition of sulfide minerals from all facies of the deposit shows a total range in 34s values from 48 0 to 23 1 this remarkable 71 1 variation is more than twice the largest range known for sulfides in nearly all individual vms deposits both modern and ancient which typically is high precision ca id tims u pb geochronology of zircons from a synvolcanic peralkaline quartz porphyry intrusion yields a weighted mean 206pb 238u date of 363 02 0 43 ma 2 total uncertainty this date indicates that the formation of graphitic and sulfidic sediments at dry creek and contemporaneous vms mineralization occurred at least 3 6 m y before and hence are unrelated to widespread black shale deposition during the hangenberg event at ca 359 ma

evidence for massive discharges of icebergs into the north atlantic ocean during the last glacial period sediments in the north atlantic ocean contain a series of layers that are rich in ice rafted debris and unusually poor in foraminifera1 here we present evidence that the most recent six of these heinrich layers deposited between 14 000 and 70 000 years ago record marked decreases in sea surface temperature and salinity decreases in the flux of planktonic foraminifera to the sediments and short lived massive discharges of icebergs originating in eastern canada the path of the icebergs clearly marked by the presence of ice rafted detrital carbonate can be traced for more than 3 000 km a remarkable distance attesting to extreme cooling of surface waters and enormous amounts of drifting ice the cause of these extreme events is puzzling they may reflect repeated rapid advances of the laurentide ice sheet perhaps associated with reductions in air temperatures yet temperature records from greenland ice cores appear to exhibit only a weak corresponding signal moreover the 5 10 000 yr intervals between the events are inconsistent with milankovitch orbital periodicities raising the question of what the ultimate cause of the postulated cooling may have been

changes in the west antarctic ice sheet the portion of the west antarctic ice sheet that flows into the ross sea is thinning in some places and thickening in others these changes are not caused by any current climatic change but by the combination of a delayed response to the end of the last global glacial cycle and an internal instability the near future impact of the ice sheet on global sea level is largely due to processes internal to the movement of the ice sheet and not so much to the threat of a possible greenhouse warming thus the near term future of the ice sheet is already determined however too little of the ice sheet has been surveyed to predict its overall future behavior

palaeoglaciology of the welsh sector of the british irish ice sheet this palaeoglaciological reconstruction based on the distribution of glacial lineations interpreted from satellite imagery considers the extent thickness and dynamics of the welsh ice cap and its interaction with the british irish ice sheet two major ice flow events were identified the oldest phase of ice flow event i is characterized by ice flowing from an ice dispersal centre situated over the higher terrain in north central wales and by ice thick enough to cover the mountain summits at this time the interior of the ice cap is inferred to have been dominated by cold based ice during the growth of the welsh ice cap it became confluent with the british irish ice sheet the welsh ice cap at this time was again sufficiently thick to submerge the highest mountain summits the youngest detected phase of ice flow event ii was marked by an abrupt change in the dynamics of the welsh ice cap during event ii the welsh ice cap was drained by at least four ice streams which followed major troughs in northern and eastern wales

zircon thermometry of high temperature rhyolites near volcanic associated massive sulfide deposits abitibi subprovince canada high temperature high silica rhyolites are commonly found near cu zn volcanic associated massive sulfide vms deposits in the archean abitibi subprovince they are characterized by anhydrous phenocrysts feldspar quartz in concentrations of generally 73 sio 2 high incompatible element contents rb sr 1 zr y

landscape preservation under fennoscandian ice sheets determined from in situ produced 10be and 26al some areas within ice sheet boundaries retain pre existing landforms and thus either remained as ice free islands nunataks during glaciation or were preserved under ice differentiating between these alternatives has significant implications for paleoenvironment ice sheet surface elevation and ice volume reconstructions in the northern swedish mountains in situ cosmogenic 10be and 26al concentrations from glacial erratics on relict surfaces as well as glacially eroded bedrock adjacent to these surfaces provide consistent last deglaciation exposure ages 8 13 kyr confirming ice sheet overriding as opposed to ice free conditions however these ages contrast with exposure ages of 34 61 kyr on bedrock surfaces in these same relict areas demonstrating that relict areas were preserved with little erosion through multiple glacial cycles based on the difference in radioactive decay between 26al and 10be the measured nuclide concentration in one of these bedrock surfaces suggests that it remained largely unmodified for a minimum period of 845 418 461 kyr these results indicate that relict areas need to be accounted for as frozen bed patches in basal boundary conditions for ice sheet models and in landscape development models subglacial preservation also implies that source areas for glacial sediments in ocean cores are considerably smaller than the total area covered by ice sheets these relict areas also have significance as potential long term subglacial biologic refugia

development of framboidal pyrite during diagenesis low grade regional metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration distribution patterns microstructural relationships and compositional variations for framboidal pyrite in the paleozoic sedimentary host rocks to gold deposits on the northern carlin trend nevada and at fosterville in central victoria collectively demonstrate that it is not all of synsedimentary early diagenetic origin framboidal pyrite also nucleated in hydrothermal veins formed at several kilometers depth and along dissolution surfaces stylolites and crenulation cleavages formed during metamorphism at up to anchizonal grade i e prehnitepumpellyite facies there are no obvious differences in either the size range or internal morphology of framboids formed in these various settings suggesting that a single relatively simple crystallization path may operate over a wide depth range in the upper crust at fosterville anomalously metal rich including au framboidal pyrite is most abundant adjacent to laminated shear veins that developed by slip along bedding surfaces during folding of the sedimentary host rocks microstructural relationships and pb isotope compositions for the framboidal pyrite and other similarly distributed early formed sulfides support development in response to the localized episodic influx of metal enriched h 2s bearing hydrothermal fluids during regional deformation between 440 and 400 ma these findings may have implications for other similarly deformed metasedimentary successions where the discovery of au bearing framboidal pyrite has recently been cited as evidence for significant au enrichment during sedimentation 2009 society of economic geologists inc