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Showing papers by "United States Geological Survey published in 1987"


Journal ArticleDOI
19 Nov 1987-Nature
TL;DR: The GS-15 organism as mentioned in this paper is not magnetotactic, but reduces amorphic ferric oxide to extracellular magnetite during the reduction of ferric iron as the terminal electron acceptor for organic matter oxidation.
Abstract: The potential contribution of microbial metabolism to the magnetization of sediments has only recently been recognized. In the presence of oxygen, magnetotactic bacteria can form intracellular chains of magnetite while using oxygen or nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor for metabolism1. The production of ultrafine-grained magnetite by magnetotactic bacteria in surficial aerobic sediments may contribute significantly to the natural remanent magnetism of sediments2–4. However, recent studies on iron reduction in anaerobic sediments suggested that bacteria can also generate magnetite in the absence of oxygen5. We report here on a sediment organism, designated GS-15, which produces copious quantities of ultrafine-grained magnetite under anaerobic conditions. GS-15 is not magnetotactic, but reduces amorphic ferric oxide to extracellular magnetite during the reduction of ferric iron as the terminal electron acceptor for organic matter oxidation. This novel metabolism may be the mechanism for the formation of ultrafine-grained magnetite in anaerobic sediments, and couldaccount for the accumulation of magnetite in ancient iron formations and hydrocarbon deposits.

921 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
20 Nov 1987-Science
TL;DR: F Fault-normal crustal compression in central California is proposed to result from the extremely low shear strength of the San Andreas and the slightly convergent relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates.
Abstract: Contemporary in situ tectonic stress indicators along the San Andreas fault system in central California show northeast-directed horizontal compression that is nearly perpendicular to the strike of the fault. Such compression explains recent uplift of the Coast Ranges and the numerous active reverse faults and folds that trend nearly parallel to the San Andreas and that are otherwise unexplainable in terms of strike-slip deformation. Fault-normal crustal compression in central California is proposed to result from the extremely low shear strength of the San Andreas and the slightly convergent relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. Preliminary in situ stress data from the Cajon Pass scientific drill hole (located 3.6 kilometers northeast of the San Andreas in southern California near San Bernardino, California) are also consistent with a weak fault, as they show no right-lateral shear stress at approximately 2-kilometer depth on planes parallel to the San Andreas fault.

914 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A newly developed chemical assay for microbially reducible iron based on the reduction of poorly crystalline ferric iron by hydroxylamine under acidic conditions provides a correction for the high concentrations of solid ferrous iron which may also be extracted from sediments with acid.
Abstract: The availability of ferric iron for microbial reduction as directly determined by the activity of iron-reducing organisms was compared with its availability as determined by a newly developed chemical assay for microbially reducible iron. The chemical assay was based on the reduction of poorly crystalline ferric iron by hydroxylamine under acidic conditions. There was a strong correlation between the extent to which hydroxylamine could reduce various synthetic ferric iron forms and the susceptibility of the iron to microbial reduction in an enrichment culture of iron-reducing organisms. When sediments that contained hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron were incubated under anaerobic conditions, ferrous iron accumulated as the concentration of hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron declined over time. Ferrous iron production stopped as soon as the hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron was depleted. In anaerobic incubations of reduced sediments that did not contain hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron, there was no microbial iron reduction, even though the sediments contained high concentrations of oxalate-extractable ferric iron. A correspondence between the presence of hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron and the extent of ferric iron reduction in anaerobic incubations was observed in sediments from an aquifer and in fresh- and brackish-water sediments from the Potomac River estuary. The assay is a significant improvement over previously described procedures for the determination of hydroxylamine-reducible ferric iron because it provides a correction for the high concentrations of solid ferrous iron which may also be extracted from sediments with acid. This is a rapid, simple technique to determine whether ferric iron is available for microbial reduction.

904 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
05 Mar 1987-Nature
TL;DR: A reflection observed on multi-channel seismic profiles along and across the East Pacific Rise between 8°50′ N and 13°30′ N is interpreted to arise from the top of a crustal magma chamber located 1.2-2.4 km below the sea floor as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A reflection observed on multi-channel seismic profiles along and across the East Pacific Rise between 8°50′ N and 13°30′ N is interpreted to arise from the top of a crustal magma chamber located 1.2–2.4 km below the sea floor. The magma chamber is quite narrow (<4 – 6 km wide), but can be traced as a nearly continuous feature for tens of kilometres along the rise axis.

724 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Nov 1987
TL;DR: In many coastal plain estuaries light attenuation by suspended sediments confines the photic zone to a small fraction of the water column, such that light limitation is a major control on phytoplankon production and turnover rate.
Abstract: In many coastal plain estuaries light attenuation by suspended sediments confines the photic zone to a small fraction of the water column, such that light limitation is a major control on phytoplankon production and turnover rate. For a variety of estuarine systems (e.g. San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Delaware Bay, Hudson River plume), photic-zone productivity can be estimated as a function of phytoplankton biomass times mean irradiance of the photic zone. Net water column productivity also varies with light availability, and in San Francisco Bay net productivity is zero (estimated respiratory loss of phytoplankton balances photosynthesis) when the ratio of photic depth ( Z p ) to mixed depth ( Z m ) is less than about 0.2. Thus whenever Z p : Z m Much of the spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton biomass or productivity in estuaries is explained by variations in the ratio of photic depth to mixed depth. For example, phytoplankton blooms often coincide with stratification events that reduce the depth of the surface mixed layer (increase Z p : Z m ). Shallow estuarine embayments (high Z p : Z m ) are often characterized by high phytoplankton biomass relative to adjacent channels (low Z p : Z m ). Many estuaries have longitudinal gradients in productivity that mirror the distribution of suspended sediments: productivity is low near the riverine source of sediments (low Z p : Z m ) and increases toward the estuary mouth where turbidity decreases. Some of these generalizations are qualitative in nature, and detailed understanding of the interaction between turbidity and estuarine phytoplankton dynamics requires improved understanding of vertical mixing rates and phytoplankton respiration.

668 citations


Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 1987
TL;DR: A useful comparison of modern and ancient submarine fans can be based only on well-understood and thoroughly mapped systems as mentioned in this paper, and the examples selected for comparison must represent depositional systems similar in such characteristics as type of basin, size of sediment source, physical and temporal scales, and stage of development.
Abstract: A useful comparison of modern and ancient submarine fans can be based only on well-understood and thoroughly mapped systems. In addition, the examples selected for comparison must represent depositional systems similar in such characteristics as type of basin, size of sediment source, physical and temporal scales, and stage of development. Many fan sedimentation models presently in use do not meet these criteria.

602 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Fe(III)-reducing organisms can inhibit sulfate reduction and methane production by outcompeting sulfate reducers and methanogens for electron donors when Fe(III) is in a form that Fe( III)-red reducing organisms can readily reduce.
Abstract: Mechanisms for inhibition of sulfate reduction and methane production in the zone of Fe(III) reduction in sediments were investigated. Addition of amorphic iron(III) oxyhydroxide to sediments in which sulfate reduction was the predominant terminal electron-accepting process inhibited sulfate reduction 86 to 100%. The decrease in electron flow to sulfate reduction was accompanied by a corresponding increase in electron flow to Fe(III) reduction. In a similar manner, Fe(III) additions also inhibited methane production in sulfate-depleted sediments. The inhibition of sulfate reduction and methane production was the result of substrate limitation, because the sediments retained the potential for sulfate reduction and methane production in the presence of excess hydrogen and acetate. Sediments in which Fe(III) reduction was the predominant terminal electron-accepting process had much lower concentrations of hydrogen and acetate than sediments in which sulfate reduction or methane production was the predominant terminal process. The low concentrations of hydrogen and acetate in the Fe(III)-reducing sediments were the result of metabolism by Fe(III)-reducing organisms of hydrogen and acetate at concentrations lower than sulfate reducers or methanogens could metabolize them. The results indicate that when Fe(III) is in a form that Fe(III)-reducing organisms can readily reduce, Fe(III)-reducing organisms can inhibit sulfate reduction and methane production by outcompeting sulfate reducers and methanogens for electron donors.

598 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, extensive studies of 17 geographically and hydrologically diverse stream bed sediments provide information on the relation between grain size, surface area, and operationally defined geochemical phases (e.g. Mn oxides, amorphous Fe oxides) to trace element concentrations.

551 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
13 Nov 1987-Science
TL;DR: Although analysis after the storms suggests that modifications and additional development are needed, the system successfully predicted the times of major landslide events and could be used as a prototype for systems in other landslide-prone regions.
Abstract: A real-time system for issuing warnings of landslides during major storms is being developed for the San Francisco Bay region, California. The system is based on empirical and theoretical relations between rainfall and landslide initiation, geologic determination of areas susceptible to landslides, real-time monitoring of a regional network of telemetering rain gages, and National Weather Service precipitation forecasts. This system was used to issue warnings during the storms of 12 to 21 February 1986, which produced 800 millimeters of rainfall in the region. Although analysis after the storms suggests that modifications and additional development are needed, the system successfully predicted the times of major landslide events. It could be used as a prototype for systems in other landslide-prone regions.

OtherDOI
01 Jan 1987
TL;DR: The most common types of mass movements that form landslide dams are rock and debris avalanches, rock and soil slumps and slides; and mud, debris, and earth flows as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Of the numerous kinds of dams that form by natural processes, dams formed from landslides, glacial ice, and late-neoglacial moraines present the greatest threat to people and property. Landslide dams form in a wide range of physiographic settings. The most common types of mass movements that form landslide dams are rock and debris avalanches; rock and soil slumps and slides; and mud, debris, and earth flows. The most common initiation mechanisms for dam-forming landslides are excessive rainfall and snowmelt and earthquakes. Landslide dams can be classified into six categories based on their relation with the valley floor. Type I dams (11% of 184 landslide dams from around the world that we were able to classify) do not reach from one valley side to the other. Type II dams (44%) span the entire valley floor, in some cases depositing material high on opposite valley sides. Type III dams (41%) move considerable distances both upstream and downstream from the landslide failure. Type IV dams (<1%) are rare and involve the contemporaneous failure of material from both sides of a valley. Type V dams (<1%) also are rare and are created when a single landslide sends multiple tongues of debris into a valley and forms two or more landslide dams in the same reach of river. Type VI dams (3%) involve one or more failure surfaces that extend under the stream or valley and emerge on the opposite valley side. Many landslide dams fail shortly after formation. In our sample of 73 documented landslide-dam failures, 27% of the landslide dams failed less than 1 day after formation, and about 50% failed within 10 days. Over-topping is by far the most common cause of failure. The timing of failure and the magnitude of the resulting floods are controlled by dam size and geometry; material characteristics of the blockage; rate of inflow to the impoundment; size and depth of the impoundment; bedrock control of flow; and engineering controls such as artificial spill-ways, diversions, tunnels, and planned breaching by blasting or conventional excavation. Glacial-ice dams can produce at least nine kinds of ice-dammed lakes. The most dangerous are lakes formed in main valleys dammed by tributary glaciers. Failure can occur by erosion of a drainage tunnel under or through the ice dam or by a channel over the ice dam. Cold polar-ice dams generally drain supraglacially or marginally by downmelting of an outlet channel. Warmer, temperate-ice dams tend to fail by sudden englacial or subglacial breaching and drainage. Late-neoglacial moraine-dammed lakes are located in steep mountain areas affected by the advances and retreats of valley glaciers in the last several centuries. These late-neoglacial dams pose hazards because (1) they are sufficiently young that vegetation has not stabilized their slopes, (2) many dam faces are steeper than the angle of repose, (3) these dams and lakes are immediately downslope from steep crevassed glaciers and near-vertical rock slopes, and (4) downstream from these dams are steep canyons with easily erodible materials that can be incorporated in the flow and increase flood peaks. The most common reported failure mechanism is overtopping and breaching by a wave or series of waves in the lake generated by icefalls, rockfalls, or snow or rock avalanches. Melting of ice cores or frozen ground and piping and seepage are other possible failure mechanisms. Natural dams may cause upstream flooding as the lake rises and downstream flooding as a result of failure of the dam. Although data are few, for the same potential energy at the dam site, ownstream flood peaks from the failure of glacier-ice dams are smaller than those from landslide, moraine, and structed earth-fill and rock-fill dam failures. Moraine-dam failures appear to produce some of the largest downstream flood peaks for potential energy at the dam site greater than 1011-1012 joules. Differences in flood peaks natural-dam failures appear to be controlled by dam characteristics and failure mechanisms.


Journal ArticleDOI
27 Mar 1987-Science
TL;DR: Water-quality records from two nationwide sampling networks now permit nationally consistent analysis of long-term water-quality trends at more than 300 locations on major U.S. rivers, providing new insight into changes in stream quality during a time of major changes in both terrestrial and atmospheric influences on surface waters.
Abstract: Water-quality records from two nationwide sampling networks now permit nationally consistent analysis of long-term water-quality trends at more than 300 locations on major U.S. rivers. Observed trends in 24 measures of water quality for the period from 1974 to 1981 provide new insight into changes in stream quality that occurred during a time of major changes in both terrestrial and atmospheric influences on surface waters. Particularly noteworthy are widespread decreases in fecal bacteria and lead concentrations and widespread increases in nitrate, chloride, arsenic, and cadmium concentrations. Recorded increases in municipal waste treatment, use of salt on highways, and nitrogen fertilizer application, along with decreases in leaded gasoline consumption and regionally variable trends in coal production and combustion during the period appear to be reflected in water-quality changes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The rate of calcite recrystallization by calcite was determined as a function of pH and Mg2+ in aqueous solutions saturated with respect to calcite but undersaturated with respect of CdCO3.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of Late Cretaceous leaf assemblages and structural adaptations of dicotyledonous wood has been carried out, showing that mesothermal vegetation was an open-canopy, broad-leaved evergreen woodland that existed under low to moderate amounts of rainfall evenly distributed through the year, with a moderate increase at about 40-45°N.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the effect of dissolved organic matter on the solubility enhancement of organic solutes on the basis of the use of commercial humic acids and showed that the effect varies with the molecular composition of the aquatic humic materials.
Abstract: Water solubility enhancements of 1,1-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), 2,4,5,2',5'-pentachlorobiphenyl (2,4,5,2',5'-PCB), and 2,4,4'-trichlorobiphenyl (2,4,4'-PCB) by dissolved organic matter have been studied with the following samples: (1) acidic water samples from the Suwannee River, Georgia, and the Sopchoppy River, Florida; (2) a humic extract of a nearly neutral pH water from the Calcasieu River, Louisiana; (3) commercial humic acids from the Aldrich Chemical Co and Fluka-Tridom Chemical Corp The calculated partition coefficients on a dissolved organic carbon basis (K/sub doc/) for organic solutes with water samples and aquatic humic extracts from this and earlier studies indicate that the enhancement effect varies with the molecular composition of the aquatic humic materials, The K/sub doc/ values with water and aquatic humic samples are, however, far less than the observed K/sub doc/ values obtained with the two commercial samples, by factors of about 4-20 In view of this finding, one should be cautious in interpreting the effects of the dissolved organic matter on solubility enhancement of organic solutes on the basis of the use of commercial humic acids 14 references, 3 figures, 2 tables

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found evidence of magma interactions resulting in both hybridization and mingling in a diverse suite of gabbroic to intermediate rocks associated with the compositionally zoned hornblende-biotite Lamarck Granodiorite of the eastern Sierra Nevada, California.
Abstract: Evidence of magma interactions resulting in both hybridization and mingling are preserved in a diverse suite of gabbroic to intermediate rocks associated with the compositionally zoned hornblende-biotite Lamarck Granodiorite of the eastern Sierra Nevada, California. Ellipsoidal mafic enclaves were formed by quenching of small amounts of high-alumina basaltic magma upon injection into and dispersal through granodiorite magma early in its crystallization. Synplutonic intrusions of hornblende gabbro through hybridized mafic granodiorite represent injection of mafic magma at a later stage of crystallization of the granodiorite, as they crosscut regional trends in foliation and compositional zoning in the host pluton. Where compositional contrasts between intrusion and host granodiorite are large, contacts are sharp and abundant enclaves derived from the mafic intrusion are present in the granodiorite. Where the host is relatively mafic or where the local-scale proportion of mafic magma is large, contacts are zones of extensive hybridization that contain both enclaves and hybrid schlieren. Uncontaminated mafic intrusions have high-alumina basaltic compositions, whereas hybridized intrusions have silica contents as high as 63.5%. Mafic intrusions locally contain coarse-grained cumulus gabbro inclusions. Mafic schlieren in granodiorite far from mafic intrusions represent localized accumulations of hornblende, Fe-Ti oxides, and biotite from the granodiorite. Intrusion of late mafic dikes mobilized and entrained granitic residue from the granodiorite and formed composite dikes of aplite and pillowed diorite. Whether interacting magmas mix or mingle is a function of the heat contents and mass fractions of the end members. Calculations that account for compositions, heats of fusion, heat capacities of liquids and crystals, and a range of initial temperatures, crystallinities, crystal sizes, and magma water contents indicate that in most circumstances the basalt end member quenches; the resulting large viscosity contrast between the end members prevents hybridization. Homogenization is likely only if the compositional difference between host and injected mafic magma is less than 10% SiO2 or if the mass fraction of mafic magma is greater than 0.5. Resulting mixtures have the composition of tonalite or mafic granodiorite; thus, the more silicic rocks of the granodiorite pluton must represent differentiation products rather than direct hybrids of mafic or intermediate magma and felsic magma.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the literature indicates that numerous microorganisms can reduce ferric iron during the metabolism of organic matter as mentioned in this paper, and that the reduction of iron appears to be enzymatically catalyzed and may be coupled to an electron transport chain that could generate ATP.
Abstract: A review of the literature indicates that numerous microorganisms can reduce ferric iron during the metabolism of organic matter. In most cases, the reduction of ferric iron appears to be enzymatically catalyzed and, in some instances, may be coupled to an electron transport chain that could generate ATP. However, the physiology and biochemistry of ferric iron reduction are poorly understood. In pure culture, ferric iron‐reducing organisms metabolize fermentable substrates, such as glucose, primarily to typical fermentation products, and transfer only a minor portion of the electron equivalents in the fermentable substrates to ferric iron. However, fermentation products, especially hydrogen and acetate, may be important electron donors for ferric iron reduction in natural environments. The ability of some organisms to couple the oxidation of fermentation products to the reduction of ferric iron means that it is possible for a food chain of iron‐reducing organisms to completely mineralize nonrecal...

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Apr 1987-Science
TL;DR: Chemical, isotopic, geologic, and medical evidence support the hypotheses that (i) the bulk of gas released was carbon dioxide that had been stored in the lake's hypolimnion, (ii) the victims exposed to the gas cloud died of carbon dioxide asphyxiation, and (iii) the carbon dioxide was derived from magmatic sources.
Abstract: The sudden, catastrophic release of gas from Lake Nyos on 21 August 1986 caused the deaths of at least 1700 people in the northwest area of Cameroon, West Africa. Chemical, isotopic, geologic, and medical evidence support the hypotheses that (i) the bulk of gas released was carbon dioxide that had been stored in the lake's hypolimnion, (ii) the victims exposed to the gas cloud died of carbon dioxide asphyxiation, (iii) the carbon dioxide was derived from magmatic sources, and (iv) there was no significant, direct volcanic activity involved. The limnological nature of the gas release suggests that hazardous lakes may be identified and monitored and that the danger of future incidents can be reduced.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a new model of seismic coda is presented, based on the balance between the energy scattered from the direct wave and the energy in the seismic Coda, and the model is tested using synthetic seismograms produced in finite difference simulations of wave propagation through media with random spatial variations in seismic velocity.
Abstract: A new model of seismic coda is presented, based on the balance between the energy scattered from the direct wave and the energy in the seismic coda. This energy-flux model results in a simple formula for the amplitude and time decay of the seismic coda that explicitly differentiates between the scattering and intrinsic (anelastic) attenuation of the medium. This formula is valid for both weak and strong scattering and implicitly includes multiple scattering. The model is tested using synthetic seismograms produced in finite difference simulations of wave propagation through media with random spatial variations in seismic velocity. Some of the simulations also included intrinsic dissipation. The energy-flux model explains the coda decay and amplitude observed in the synthetics, for random media with a wide range of scattering Q. In contrast, the single-scattering model commonly used in the analysis of microearthquake coda does not account for the gradual coda decay observed in the simulations for media with moderate or strong scattering attenuation (scattering Q less than or equal to 150). The simulations demonstrate that large differences in scattering attenuation cause only small changes in the coda decay rate, as predicted by the energy-flux model. The coda decay rate is sensitive, however, more » to the intrinsic Q of the medium. The ratio of the coda amplitude to the energy in the direct arrival is a measure of the scattering attenuation. Thus, analysis of the decay rate and amplitude of the coda can, in principle, produce separate estimates for the scattering and intrinsic Q values of the crust. We analyze the coda from two earthquakes near Anza, California. Intrinsic Q values determined from these seismograms using the energy-flux model are comparable to coda Q values found from the single-scattering theory. The results demonstrate that coda Q values are, at best, measures of the intrinsic attenuation of the lithosphere and are unrelated to the scatteing Q. « less

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors of as discussed by the authors reported that the Merapi volcanic gas is enriched by factors greater than 105 in Se, Re, Bi and Cd; 104-105 in Au, Br, In, Pb and W; 103-104 in Mo, Cl, Cs, S, Sb, S.C., S.S., N.S. and Ag, and less than 103 g d of Ni, Cu, Cr, Ni, Ni and Co.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used Fe-Ti oxide and glass geothermometry to estimate quenching temperatures in the partially molten zone of Kilauea Iki lava lake.
Abstract: Data on the variation of temperature with time and in space are essential to a complete understanding of the crystallization history of basaltic magma in Kilauea Iki lava lake Methods used to determine temperatures in the lake have included direct, downhole thermocouple measurements and Fe-Ti oxide geothermometry In addition, the temperature variations of MgO and CaO contents of glasses, as determined in melting experiments on appropriate Kilauean samples, have been calibrated for use as purely empirical geothermometers and are directly applicable to interstitial glasses in olivine-bearing core from Kilauea Iki The uncertainty in inferred quenching temperatures is ±8−10° C Comparison of the three methods shows that (1) oxide and glass geothermometry give results that are consistent with each other and consistent with the petrography and relative position of samples, (2) downhole thermo-couple measurements are low in all but the earliest, shallowest holes because the deeper holes never completely recover to predrilling temperatures, (3) glass geothermometry provides the greatest detail on temperature profiles in the partially molten zone, much of which is otherwise inaccessible, and (4) all three methods are necessary to construct a complete temperature profile for any given drill hole Application of glass-based geothermometry to partially molten drill core recovered in 1975–1981 reveals in great detail the variation of temperature, in both time and space, within the partially molten zone of Kilauea Iki lava lake The geothermometers developed here are also potentially applicable to glassy samples from other Kilauea lava lakes and to rapidly quenched lava samples from eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a lethal gas burst issued from a submerged 96-m-deep crater in Lake Monoun in Cameroun, western Africa, killing 37 people, was associated with a landslide from the eastern crater rim, which slumped into deep water.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Radiocarbon dating of late Quaternary deposits and shorelines of Lake Mojave and cation-ratio numerical age dating of stone pavements (Dorn, 1984) provide age constraints for alluvial and eolian deposits.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the utility of conodont color alteration by pyrolysis in air at 1 atm was used to generate the geologic temperatures for conodic color-alteration indices (CAI) above 300 °C, that is, for CAI values of 5½ through 8.
Abstract: Experimental and field data are used to extend the utility of conodonts as semi-quantitative thermal indices into the regimes of regional and contact metamorphism, as well as hydrothermal alteration. An Arrhenius plot of data from induced conodont color alteration by pyrolysis in air at 1 atm was used to generate the geologic temperatures for conodont color-alteration indices (CAI) above 300 °C, that is, for CAI values of 5½ through 8. Such CAI values occur in very low- to medium-grade, regionally metamorphosed, contact-metamorphosed, and hydrothermally altered rocks. The uniformity or variability of CAI values within a sample, together with conodont texture, can help to distinguish grades and environments of metamorphism, particularly in metacarbonate sequences. Induced CAI by pyrolysis in a water-methane mixture at ½ kbar results in retardation of CAI and in a disparate mixture of both low and high CAI values within each experimental sample. In this system, color-alteration processes, above a CAI of 2 to 3, seem to change from predominantly carbonization to predominantly loss of organic matter, presumably by oxidation and volatilization of oxides. These experiments approximate the type of CAI mixture characteristically found in conodonts recovered from hydrothermally altered rocks. These data indicate that CAI values of 6 to 8 cannot be used to assess precise temperatures of hydrothermally altered rocks but may serve as useful indicators of potential mineralization.

Journal ArticleDOI
17 Jul 1987-Science
TL;DR: The fact that many of the experimental bedforms were neither transverse nor parallel to the resultant transport direction suggests that transport directions cannot be accurately determined by presuming such alignment.
Abstract: Many kinds of sediment bedforms are presumed to trend either normal or parallel to the direction of sediment transport. For this reason, the trend of bedforms observed by remote sensing or by field observations is commonly used as an indicator of the direction of sediment transport. Such presumptions regarding bedform trend were tested experimentally in bidirectional flows by rotating a sand-covered board in steady winds. Transverse, oblique, and longitudinal bedforms were created by changing only two parameters: the angle between the two winds and the proportions of sand transported in the two directions. Regardless of whether the experimental bedforms were transverse, oblique, or longitudinal (as defined by the bedform trend relative to the resultant transport direction), they all had trends that yielded the maximum gross transport across the bedforms. The fact that many of the experimental bedforms were neither transverse nor parallel to the resultant transport direction suggests that transport directions cannot be accurately determined by presuming such alignment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present detailed data on rainfall, ground-water flow, and repetitive seasonal motion that occurred from 1982 to 1985 at Minor Creek landslide in northwestern California, and interpret these data in the context of physically based theories.
Abstract: Simple ground-water flow analyses can clarify complex empirical relations between rainfall and landslide motion. Here we present detailed data on rainfall, ground-water flow, and repetitive seasonal motion that occurred from 1982 to 1985 at Minor Creek landslide in northwestern California, and we interpret these data in the context of physically based theories. We find that landslide motion is closely regulated by the direction and magnitude of near-surface hydraulic gradients and by waves of pore pressure caused by intermittent rainfall. Diffusive propagation of pore-pressure waves accompanies downward ground-water flow along nearly vertical hydraulic gradients that exist in most of the landslide. Field data combined with a pore-pressure diffusion analysis show that single rainstorms typically produce short-period waves that attenuate before reaching the landslide base. In contrast, seasonal rainfall cycles produce long-period waves that modify basal pore pressures, but only after time lags that range from weeks to months. Such tune lags can depend on antecedent moisture storage and can explain variable delays between the onset of the wet season and seasonal landslide motion. Limit-equilibrium analysis shows that when seasonal pressure waves reach the landslide base, they establish a critical distribution of effective stress that delicately triggers landslide motion. The critical effective-stress balance is extremely sensitive to the direction and magnitude of hydraulic gradients. Although pervasively downward gradients instigate seasonal motion, we infer from theory and limited data that ground water also may circulate locally in near-surface cells. The circulation can further reduce the landslide's frictional strength, particularly in areas of nearly horizontal ground-water flow that occur beneath steep faces of hummocks. Hummocky topography that results from slope instability may therefore cause ground-water flow that perpetuates instability.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the maximum rainfall runoff floods measured by indirect methods in small basins (0.39-370 km2) in the conterminous United States and identified twelve floods that were the largest ever measured.