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USGS2012

Calcite growth-rate inhibition by fulvic acid and magnesium ion—Possible influence on biogenic calcite formation

Increases in ocean surface water dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations retard biocalcification by reducing calcite supersaturation (Ωc). Reduced calcification rates may influence growth-rate dependent magnesium ion (Mg) incorporation into biogenic calcite modifying the use of calcifying organisms as paleoclimate proxies. Fulvic acid (FA) at biocalcification sites may further reduce calcification rates. Calcite growth-rate inhibition by FA and Mg, two common constituents of seawater and soil water involved in the formation of biogenic calcite, was measured separately and in combination under identical, highly reproducible experimental conditions. Calcite growth rates (pH=8.5 and Ωc=4.5) are reduced by FA (0.5 mg/L) to 47% and by Mg (10−4 M) to 38%, compared to control experiments containing no added growth-rate inhibitor. Humic acid (HA) is twice as effective a calcite growth-rate inhibitor as FA. Calcite growth rate in the presence of both FA (0.5 mg/L) and Mg (10−4 M) is reduced to 5% of the control rate. Mg inhibits calcite growth rates by substitution for calcium ion at the growth site. In contrast, FA inhibits calcite growth rates by binding multiple carboxylate groups on the calcite surface. FA and Mg together have an increased affinity for the calcite growth sites reducing calcite growth rates.

Journal of Crystal Growth↗

USGS1974

Naturally occurring vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) Whisker growth of germanium sulfide

The first naturally occurring terrestrial example of vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth has been observed in condensates from gases released by burning coal in culm banks. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive analysis indicate that the crystals consist of elongated rods (≈ 100 μm) of germanium sulfide capped by bulbs depleted in germanium.

Journal of Crystal Growth↗

USGS2012

Experimental deformation of topaz crystals: Possible embrittlement by intracrystalline water

Crystallographically oriented single‐crystal prisms of gem quality topaz (composition AlSiO (OH− F) where x = 0.04 ± 0.01) were deformed at a confining pressure of 1.50 GPa, a temperature of 800°C, and a strain rate of 2×10 s. Under nearly identical conditions, all crystals of anhydrous rock‐forming minerals that have been tested to date, such as olivine, quartz, feldspars, pyroxenes, and refractory oxides, deform plastically; in contrast, our topaz crystals failed by brittle fracture regardless of the orientation of the compression direction. No optical evidence for plastic deformation was detected. Another suite of experiments with compression perpendicular to the (001) cleavage at = 100°–950°C and a strain rate of 2×10 s displayed two regimes of behavior: (1) at >400°C, fracture strength was independent of temperature, and fracture occurred on one or two surfaces parallel to {103}; (2) at <400°C, the fracture strength increased rapidly with decreasing temperature, no macroscopic stress drop was observed, and many closely spaced conjugate fractures formed on (103) and (103). The anomalous brittleness of topaz compared to anhydrous silicate and oxide crystals indicates that intracrystalline “water” plays a role in the embrittlement. We suggest that water within the topaz crystals promotes fracture in ways similar to the mechanisms of slow crack growth aided by environmental moisture.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗

USGS1975

Diagenesis of Miocene siliceous shales, Temblor Range, California

Siliceous Monterey Shale and related shales of the Temblor Range, Calif., are subdivided into three depth-controlled zones characterized by different forms of silica. These are, in descending stratigraphic order: (1) Biogenic opal zone, with remains of diatoms and other siliceous organisms, (2) diagenetic cristobalite zone, and (3) diagenetic quartz zone. Using the top of the youngest marine unit, the overlying Etchegoin Formation, as datum, the transition from biogenic opal to disordered cristobalite occurs within the Monterey Shale of Chico Martinez Creek at -730 m, and the ordered cristobalite-to-microquartz transition at about -2,030 m. Temperatures that prevailed at these transition depths while the sedimentary pile lay at the bottom of the sea are estimated at about 50° and 110°C, respectively. Diagenetic cristobalite manifests, downward through a 1,300-m interval of section, a progressive decrease in its d (101) spacing because of a gradual ordering of its internal structure through adjustments in the solid state. Diagenetic microquartz forms only from well-ordered cristobalite that provides the most appropriate concentration of dissolved silica for precipitation of microquartz. Scanning electron micrographs of the silica mineral in pores of rocks made up of disordered cristobalite show aggregates of well-formed bladed crystals, like those described from deep-sea cherts. The pore silica minerals in rocks made up of ordered cristobalite occur as dendritic growths of poorly formed stubby crystals, and the change in crystal habit could be an external expression of the internal ordering process.

California↗

USGS2002

The Fish Canyon magma body, San Juan volcanic field, Colorado: Rejuvenation and eruption of an upper-crustal batholith

More than 5000 km 3 of nearly compositionally homogeneous crystal-rich dacite (∼68 wt % SiO 2 : ∼45% Pl + Kfs + Qtz + Hbl + Bt + Spn + Mag + Ilm + Ap + Zrn + Po) erupted from the Fish Canyon magma body during three phases: (1) the pre-caldera Pagosa Peak Dacite (an unusual poorly fragmented pyroclastic deposit, ∼200 km 3 ); (2) the syn-collapse Fish Canyon Tuff (one of the largest known ignimbrites, ∼5000 km 3 ); (3) the post-collapse Nutras Creek Dacite (a volumetrically minor lava). The late evolution of the Fish Canyon magma is characterized by rejuvenation of a near-solidus upper-crustal intrusive body (mainly crystal mush) of batholithic dimensions. The necessary thermal input was supplied by a shallow intrusion of more mafic magma represented at the surface by sparse andesitic enclaves in late-erupted Fish Canyon Tuff and by the post-caldera Huerto Andesite. The solidified margins of this intrusion are represented by holocrystalline xenoliths with Fish Canyon mineralogy and mineral chemistry and widely dispersed partially remelted polymineralic aggregates, but dehydration melting was not an important mechanism in the rejuvenation of the Fish Canyon magma. Underlying mafic magma may have evolved H 2 O–F–S–Cl-rich fluids that fluxed melting in the overlying crystal mush. Manifestations of the late up-temperature magma evolution are: (1) resorbed quartz, as well as feldspars displaying a wide spectrum of textures indicative of both resorption and growth, including Rapakivi textures and reverse growth zoning (An 27–28 to An 32–33 ) at the margins of many plagioclase phenocrysts; (2) high Sr, Ba, and Eu contents in the high-SiO 2 rhyolite matrix glass, which are inconsistent with extreme fractional crystallization of feldspar; (3) oscillatory and reverse growth zoning toward the margins of many euhedral hornblende phenocrysts (rimward increases from ∼5·5–6 to 7·7–8·5 wt % Al 2 O 3 ). Homogeneity in magma composition at the chamber-wide scale, contrasting with extreme textural and chemical complexities at the centimeter–millimeter scale, is consistent with a dynamic environment, wherein crystals with a variety of growth and resorption histories were juxtaposed shortly before eruption by convective currents.

Colorado↗

USGS2013

Pre-eruptive magmatic conditions at Augustine Volcano, Alaska, 2006: Evidence from amphibole geochemistry and textures

Variations in the geochemistry and texture of amphibole phenocrysts erupted from Augustine Volcano in 2006 provide new insights into pre- and syn-eruptive magma storage and mixing. Amphiboles are rare but present in all magma compositions (low- to high-silica andesites) from the 3 month long eruption. Unzoned magnesiohornblende in the high- and low-silica andesites exhibit limited compositional variability, relatively high SiO 2 (up to 49·7 wt %), and relatively low Al 2 O 3 (< 11·1 wt %). Intermediate-silica andesites and quenched mafic enclaves contain amphiboles that vary in composition (e.g. SiO 2 40·8–48·9 wt %, Al 2 O 3 6·52–15·2 wt %) and classification (magnesiohornblende–magnesiohastingsite–tschermakite). Compositional variation in amphibole is primarily controlled by temperature-dependent substitutions. Both high- and low-silica andesites represent remnant magmas that were stored in the shallow crust at 4–8 km depth, remaining distinct owing to a complex subsurface plumbing system. Intermediate-silica andesites and quenched mafic inclusions represent pre-eruptive hybrids of resident high- and low-silica andesite magmas and an intruding basalt. Amphiboles in explosive phase high-silica andesites are largely euhedral and unreacted, consistent with the high magma flux rates from depth during this phase (up to 13 800 m 3 s –1 ). Phenocrysts from the other lithologies have reaction rims that range from 1 to >1000 μm in thickness. Reaction rim microlite sizes correlate with reaction rim thicknesses. Reaction rims <50 μm thick contain microlites 1–10 μm in length whereas reaction rims >80 μm thick contain microlites 10–100 μm in length. Differentiating between heating- and decompression-induced amphibole reaction rim formation is problematic because of a lack of experimental constraints. We attempt a new approach to assessing reaction rim formation, based on a kinetic theory of crystal nucleation and growth, in which the differences in reaction rim textures represent different degrees of amphibole disequilibrium. Large crystals and low number densities suggest relatively lower levels of disequilibrium resulting in growth-dominated crystallization. Smaller crystals and larger number densities are indicative of higher nucleation rates and a high driving force.

Alaska↗

USGS1998

Deducing growth mechanisms for minerals from the shapes of crystal size distributions

Crystal size distributions (CSDs) of natural and synthetic samples are observed to have several distinct and different shapes. We have simulated these CSDs using three simple equations: the Law of Proportionate Effect (LPE), a mass balance equation, and equations for Ostwald ripening. The following crystal growth mechanisms are simulated using these equations and their modifications: (1) continuous nucleation and growth in an open system, during which crystals nucleate at either a constant, decaying, or accelerating nucleation rate, and then grow according to the LPE; (2) surface-controlled growth in an open system, during which crystals grow with an essentially unlimited supply of nutrients according to the LPE; (3) supply-controlled growth in an open system, during which crystals grow with a specified, limited supply of nutrients according to the LPE; (4) supply- or surface-controlled Ostwald ripening in a closed system, during which the relative rate of crystal dissolution and growth is controlled by differences in specific surface area and by diffusion rate; and (5) supply-controlled random ripening in a closed system, during which the rate of crystal dissolution and growth is random with respect to specific surface area. Each of these mechanisms affects the shapes of CSDs. For example, mechanism (1) above with a constant nucleation rate yields asymptotically-shaped CSDs for which the variance of the natural logarithms of the crystal sizes (??2) increases exponentially with the mean of the natural logarithms of the sizes (??). Mechanism (2) yields lognormally-shaped CSDs, for which ??2 increases linearly with ??, whereas mechanisms (3) and (5) do not change the shapes of CSDs, with ??2 remaining constant with increasing ??. During supply-controlled Ostwald ripening (4), initial lognormally-shaped CSDs become more symmetric, with ??2 decreasing with increasing ??. Thus, crystal growth mechanisms often can be deduced by noting trends in ?? versus ??2 of CSDs for a series of related samples.

American Journal of Science↗

USGS1997

The role of diffusion-controlled oscillatory nucleation in the formation of line rock in pegmatite-aplite dikes

The George Ashley Block (GAB), located in the Pala Pegmatite District, San Diego County, California, is a composite pegmatite–aplite dike of 8 m thickness displaying striking mineralogical layering in the aplite portion of the dike, referred to as line rock. Rhythmic layering is characterized by garnet-rich bands alternating with albite–quartz–muscovite-rich bands. Cumulus textures are notably absent from the layered portion of the dike. Elongated quartz megacrysts are oriented perpendicular to the garnet-rich layers and poikilitically include garnet, albite, and muscovite. Calculated crystal-free magma viscosity with 3% H 2 O is 10 6.2 Pa s and the calculated settling velocity for garnet is 0.51 cm/year. Conductive cooling calculations based on emplacement of a 650°C dike into 150°C fractured gabbroic country rock at 1.5 kbar, and accounting for latent heat of crystallization, demonstrate that the line rock portion of the dike cools to 550°C in about 1 year. Crystal size distribution studies also suggest very rapid nucleation and crystallization. Diffusion-controlled gel crystallization experiments yield textures virtually identical to those observed in the layered aplite, including rhythmic banding, colloform layering, and band discontinuities. Thus, observed textures and calculated magmatic parameters suggest that mineralogical layering in the GAB results from an in situ diffusion-controlled process of oscillatory nucleation and crystallization. We propose that any event that promotes strong undercooling has the potential to initiate rapid heterogeneous nucleation and oscillatory crystal growth, leading to the development of a layer of excluded components in front of the crystallization front, and the formation of line rock.

Journal of Petrology↗

USGS2012

Lunar ferroan anorthosites: mineralogy, compositional variations, and petrogenesis

Detailed petrologic study of a suite of lunar ferroan anorthosites indicates that their mineral compositional variations are generally consistent with derivation of these anorthosites from a common parent magma. There are continuous compositional variations in major elements and smooth trends in minor elements (Mg, Fe in plagioclase; Al, Ti, Cr in pyroxene). Relict textures, zoning, and possible primary trends of mineral compositional variations are preserved in many of the anorthosites. The presence of heterogeneous, bimodal, and/or trimodal pyroxene compositions suggests that some of the anorthosites are polymict rocks; however, they are composed entirely of ferroan-anorthosite-suite lithologies. Some aspects of the mineral composition data suggest that complex processes operated during formation of the ferroan anorthosites. The lack of a well-defined, positive or negative trend of pyroxene Mg/(Mg + Fe) versus plagioclase anorthite content, the homogenization of mineral compositions in some anorthosites, and the varied and apparently enriched Mn contents of pyroxenes in some anorthosites suggest that original igneous compositional characteristics have been altered during and/or after crystallization. Processes operative during anorthosite formation may have included some mixing of different melts, trapping of variable amounts of intercumulus liquid, postcrystallization redistribution of elements, or perturbations both during adcumulus growth and subsequent to crystallization by impact events. FeO and MgO contents of the highly calcic plagioclase typical of these anorthosites suggest that the plagioclase-melt distribution coefficients for these elements need to be reassessed.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗

USGS2026

Effects of a low-lipid diet on the gut microbiome and head kidney transcriptome of juvenile Chinook Salmon

Objective Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. reared in production hatcheries are typically fed high-lipid, energy-dense diets to achieve large size and high body condition prior to release. In contrast, juveniles in natural environments tend to consume low-lipid, high-protein diets, and fish reared for research or conservation purposes are sometimes fed diets that are formulated to mimic natural diets and promote wild-like phenotypes. Understanding how these alternative diets affect fish health beyond growth and body condition could ultimately contribute to improving hatchery fish fitness. Methods In this work, we evaluated changes in the fecal microbiome and gene expression of juvenile Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha on a standard high-lipid hatchery diet versus a low-lipid diet formulated to mimic the nutrition profile of natural-origin fish. To evaluate the time scale at which diet alters the fecal microbiome, we collected longitudinal samples over a 12-week period and switched the diets of a subset of fish twice during the experiment. We used 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize fecal microbiome differences between fish on the two diets as well as hatchery-reared fish at a production hatchery, hatchery fish that had been captured after release into a stream, and natural-origin, stream-reared fish of similar ages. Additionally, we conducted RNA sequencing on head kidney samples from laboratory-reared fish to evaluate changes in gene expression in this important immune organ. Results We found that the low-lipid diet and the hatchery diet resulted in microbiomes that differed from the microbiome of natural-origin fish and from each other and that diet-driven changes to the microbiome could occur in under 14 d. The low-lipid diet did not result in a microbiome that resembled the microbiome of naturally produced fish. Instead, the low-lipid diet resulted in a microbiome community that was distinct from those of fish reared on the hatchery diet and fish sampled from the wild. The RNA sequencing results indicated differential enrichment of pathways related to immunity, metabolism, and hormone synthesis between fish that were fed the two experimental diets. Conclusions The results suggest that additional environmental factors influence the microbiome more strongly than diet formulation or that the low-lipid diet has a smaller effect on the microbiome than a natural, invertebrate-based diet. Given that the gut microbiome and systemic immune function contribute significantly to disease resistance, our findings highlight the importance of understanding how diets fed to fish in captivity may affect fish health beyond growth and body condition metrics.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗

USGS2003

Experimental and textural constraints on mafic enclave formation in volcanic rocks

We have used experiments and textural analysis to investigate the process of enclave formation during magma mixing at Southwest Trident volcano, Alaska. Andesite enclaves are present throughout the four dacite lava flows produced by the eruption, and resemble mafic enclaves commonly found in other volcanic rocks. Our experiments replicate the pressure–temperature–time path taken by enclave-forming andesite magma as it is engulfed in dacite during magma mixing. Pressure and temperature information for the andesite and dacite are from [Coombs et al., Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 140 (2000) 99–118]. The andesite was annealed at 1000°C, and then cooled to 890°C at rates of 110°C h −1 , 10°C h −1 , and 2°C h −1 . Once cooled to 890°C, andesite was held at this lower temperature from times ranging from 1 to 40 h. The andesite that was cooled at the slower rates of 2°C h −1 and 10°C h −1 most resembles enclave groundmass texturally and compositionally. Based on simple thermal calculations, these rates are more consistent with cooling of the andesite groundmass below an andesite–dacite interface than with cooling of enclave-sized spheres. If enclaves do crystallize as spheres, post-crystallization disaggregation must occur. Calculations using the MELTS algorithm [Ghiorso and Sack, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 119 (1995) 197–212] show that for incoming andesite to become less dense than the dacite ∼34 volume % of its groundmass must crystallize to undergo ∼18 volume % vesiculation; these values are similar to those determined for Southwest Trident enclaves. Thus such crystallization may lead to ‘flotation’ of enclaves and be a viable mechanism for enclave formation and dispersal. The residual melt in the cooling experiments did not evolve to rhyolitic compositions such as seen in natural enclaves due to a lack of a decompression step in the experiments. Decompression experiments on Southwest Trident dacite suggest an average ascent rate for the eruption of ∼2–3 MPa h −1 . An andesite experiment that was cooled and then decompressed at this rate contains melt that matches that of the natural enclaves. It is apparent that decompression (ascent)-induced crystallization occurs in enclaves, but not in the form of microlites as happens in the dacite host, due either to insufficient residence time at chamber temperatures or to the pre-existing microphenocrysts which act as sites for new growth.

Alaska↗

USGS2006

Cotectic proportions of olivine and spinel in olivine-tholeiitic basalt and evaluation of pre-eruptive processes

The volume %, distribution, texture and composition of coexisting olivine, Cr-spinel and glass has been determined in quenched lava samples from Hawaii, Iceland and mid-oceanic ridges. The volume ratio of olivine to spinel varies from 60 to 2800 and samples with >0·02% spinel have a volume ratio of olivine to spinel of approximately 100. A plot of wt % MgO vs ppm Cr for natural and experimental basaltic glasses suggests that the general trend of the glasses can be explained by the crystallization of a cotectic ratio of olivine to spinel of about 100. One group of samples has an olivine to spinel ratio of approximately 100, with skeletal olivine phenocrysts and small (<50 μm) spinel crystals that tend to be spatially associated with the olivine phenocrysts. The large number of spinel crystals included within olivine phenocrysts is thought to be due to skeletal olivine phenocrysts coming into physical contact with spinel by synneusis during the chaotic conditions of ascent and extrusion. A second group of samples tend to have large olivine phenocrysts relatively free of included spinel, a few large (>100 μm) spinel crystals that show evidence of two stages of growth, and a volume ratio of olivine to spinel of 100 to well over 1000. The olivine and spinel in this group have crystallized more slowly with little physical interaction, and show evidence that they have accumulated in a magma chamber.

Journal of Petrology↗

USGS2001

Calcite crystal growth rate inhibition by polycarboxylic acids

Calcite crystal growth rates measured in the presence of several polycarboxyclic acids show that tetrahydrofurantetracarboxylic acid (THFTCA) and cyclopentanetetracarboxylic acid (CPTCA) are effective growth rate inhibitors at low solution concentrations (0.01 to 1 mg/L). In contrast, linear polycarbocylic acids (citric acid and tricarballylic acid) had no inhibiting effect on calcite growth rates at concentrations up to 10 mg/L. Calcite crystal growth rate inhibition by cyclic polycarboxyclic acids appears to involve blockage of crystal growth sites on the mineral surface by several carboxylate groups. Growth morphology varied for growth in the absence and in the presence of both THFTCA and CPTCA. More effective growth rate reduction by CPTCA relative to THFTCA suggests that inhibitor carboxylate stereochemical orientation controls calcite surface interaction with carboxylate inhibitors. ?? 20O1 Academic Press.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science↗

USGS2009

Thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments

A thorough understanding of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments is necessary for evaluating phase transformation processes that would accompany energy production from gas hydrate deposits and for estimating regional heat flow based on the observed depth to the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. The coexistence of multiple phases (gas hydrate, liquid and gas pore fill, and solid sediment grains) and their complex spatial arrangement hinder the a priori prediction of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments. Previous studies have been unable to capture the full parameter space covered by variations in grain size, specific surface, degree of saturation, nature of pore filling material, and effective stress for hydrate-bearing samples. Here we report on systematic measurements of the thermal conductivity of air dry, water- and tetrohydrofuran (THF)-saturated, and THF hydrate–saturated sand and clay samples at vertical effective stress of 0.05 to 1 MPa (corresponding to depths as great as 100 m below seafloor). Results reveal that the bulk thermal conductivity of the samples in every case reflects a complex interplay among particle size, effective stress, porosity, and fluid-versus-hydrate filled pore spaces. The thermal conductivity of THF hydrate–bearing soils increases upon hydrate formation although the thermal conductivities of THF solution and THF hydrate are almost the same. Several mechanisms can contribute to this effect including cryogenic suction during hydrate crystal growth and the ensuing porosity reduction in the surrounding sediment, increased mean effective stress due to hydrate formation under zero lateral strain conditions, and decreased interface thermal impedance as grain-liquid interfaces are transformed into grain-hydrate interfaces.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗

USGS1990

Formation of anorthosite-Gabbro rhythmic phase layering: an example at North Arm Mountain, Bay of Isands ophiolite

Rhythmically layered anorthosite and gabbro are exposed in a 4–10-m thick interval at the base of the layered gabbro unit on North Arm Mountain, one of four massifs that compose the Bay of Islands ophiolite, Newfoundland. Within the rhythmically layered interval, up to 37 anorthosite layers 1–2 cm thick alternate with gabbroic layers 7–10 cm thick. Anorthosites are adcumulates (most contain <6ppm Zr) with 98–99% plagioclase (Plag) and 1–2% intergranular clinopyroxene (Cpx), whereas gabbros are adcumulates to mesocumulates (<6–20ppm Zr) with 35–55% Plag, and the balance olivine (Ol) + Cpx ± orthopyroxene (Opx). Average mineral compositions are: Ol mg -number [100 ×Mg/(Mg + Fe)]=84·9, NiO=0·13wt. % Plag An = 87·9; Cpx mg -number = 88·3, TiO 2 =0·20 wt %; and Opx mg -number = 85·7. Rare earth element (REE) concentrations in clinopyroxene and plagioclase are low throughout the rhythmically layered interval (<5 times chondrites). The rhythmically layered interval is sandwiched between thick layers of adcumulate to orthocumulate uniform gabbro with average modal proportions of 54% Plag-39% Cpx-3% Ol-4% Opx. Average mineral compositions are: Ol mg -number = 75·5, NiO = 0·08 wt. %; Plag An=69%6; Cpx mg -number = 81·2, TiO 2 =0·53 wt. %, and Opx mg -number = 77·5. Clinopyroxene and plagioclase REE abundances are systematically higher in the uniform gabbro interval than in the rhythmically layered interval. Calculated fractional crystallization paths and correlated cryptic variation patterns suggest that uniform and rhythmically layered gabbros represent 20–30% in situ crystallization of two distinct magma batches, one more evolved and the other more primitive. When the more primitive magma entered the crystallization site of the NA300–301 gabbros, it is estimated to have been ∼40°C hotter than the resident evolved magma, and may have been chilled by contact with a magma chamber margin composed of uniform gabbro. In this model, chilling caused the liquid to become supercooled with respect to plagioclase nucleation temperatures, resulting in crystallization of gabbro deficient in plagioclase relative to equilibrium cotectic proportions. Subtraction of a plagioclase-poor melagabbro enriched the liquid in normative plagioclase, which in turn led to crystallization of an anorthosite layer. Alternating anorthosite and gabbro layers in the rhythmically layered interval built up by coupled and sustained variations in crystal nucleation and growth rates, and associated variations in liquid compositions at the crystallization front. Relatively stagnant magma-flow conditions may be required to accumulate substantial thicknesses of rhythmically layered cumulates by sustained oscillatory crystallization. The rarity of anorthosite-gabbro rhythmic phase layering on North Arm Mountain may indicate that convective magma currents in the Bay of Islands magma chamber were too vigorous for oscillatory crystallization to commonly occur.

Journal of Petrology↗

USGS2021

Comparative rhyolite systems: Inferences from vent patterns and eruptive episodicities: Eastern California and Laguna del Maule

Distilling my experience in having field mapped in detail the volcanic fields at Laguna del Maule and Long Valley and having worked out their time-volume-composition magmatic histories, I compare and contrast the postglacial rhyolites of the former with six multi-vent eruptive sequences of rhyolite in California. Compilations and discussions are made of volcanic-field areas and longevities, their compositions, vent distributions, individual batch and total volumes, eruptive episodicities, and tectonic influences. Growth of long-lived pluton-scale reservoirs of granitic crystal mush, from which the rhyolite melts separated, are interpreted in terms of conceptual models I published previously—(1) fundamentally basaltic transcrustal magmatism, 1981; (2) the deep-crustal MASH zone model, 1988; and (3) the rhyolite-melt crystal-mush model, 2001. Inferences and speculations are advanced concerning processes and timescales of rhyolite-melt separation from granitic mush and of prompt or long-delayed subsequent eruption.

California↗

USGS1993

High-pressure deformation of calcite marble and its transformation to aragonite under non-hydrostatic conditions

We conducted deformation experiments on Carrara marble in the aragonite and calcite stability fields to observe the synkinematic transformation of calcite to aragonite, and to identify any relationships between transformation and deformation or sample strength. Deformation-induced microstructures in calcite crystals varied most significantly with temperature, ranging from limited slip and twinning at 400°C, limited recrystallization at 500°C, widespread recrystallization at 600 and 700°C, to grain growth at 800–900°C. Variations in confining pressure from 0.3 to 2.0 GPa have no apparent effect on calcite deformation microstructures. Aragonite grew in 10 −6 -10 −7 s −1 strain rate tests conducted for 18–524 h at confining pressures of 1.7–2.0 GPa and temperatures of 500–600°C. As in our previously reported hydrostatic experiments on this same transformation, the aragonite nucleated on calcite grain boundaries. The extent of transformation varied from a few percent conversion near pistons at 400°C, 2.0 GPa and 10 −4 s −1 strain rate in a 0.8 h long experiment, to 98% transformation in a 21-day test at a strain rate of 10 −7 s −7 , a temperature of 600°C and a pressure of 2.0 GPa. At 500°C, porphyroblastic 100–200 μm aragonite crystals grew at a rate faster than 8 × 10 −1 m s −1 . At 600°C, the growth of aragonite neoblasts was slower, ≈6 × 10 −1 m s −1 , and formed ‘glove-and-finger’ cellularprecipitation-like textures identical to those observed in hydrostatic experiments. The transformation to aragonite is not accompanied by a shear instability or anisotropic aragonite growth, consistent with its relatively small volume change and latent heat in comparison with compounds that do display those features.

Journal of Structural Geology↗

USGS1991

Degassing and differentiation in subglacial volcanoes, Iceland

Within the neovolcanic zones of Iceland many volcanoes grew upward through icecaps that have subsequently melted. These steep-walled and flat-topped basaltic subglacial volcanoes, called tuyas, are composed of a lower sequence of subaqueously erupted, pillowed lavas overlain by breccias and hyaloclastites produced by phreatomagmatic explosions in shallow water, capped by a subaerially erupted lava plateau. Glass and whole-rock analyses of samples collected from six tuyas indicate systematic variations in major elements showing that the individual volcanoes are monogenetic, and that commonly the tholeiitic magmas differentiated and became more evolved through the course of the eruption that built the tuya. At Herdubreid, the most extensively studies tuya, the upward change in composition indicates that more than 50 wt.% of the first erupted lavas need crystallize over a range of 60°C to produce the last erupted lavas. The S content of glass commonly decreases upward in the tuyas from an average of about 0.08 wt.% at the base to < 0.02 wt.% in the subaerially erupted lava at the top, and is a measure of the depth of water (or ice) above the eruptive vent. The extensive subsurface crystallization that generates the more evolved, lower-temperature melts during the growth of the tuyas, apparently results from cooling and degassing of magma contained in shallow magma chambers and feeders beneath the volcanoes. Cooling may result from percolation of meltwater down cracks, vaporization, and cycling in a hydrothermal circulation. Degassing occurs when progressively lower pressure eruption (as the volcanic vent grows above the ice/water surface) lowers the volatile vapour pressure of subsurface melt, thus elevating the temperature of the liquidus and hastening liquid-crystal differentiation.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗