Search results for " petrology"
showing 10 items of 1353 documents
Morphological and chemical evolution of corundum (ruby and sapphire): Crystal ontogeny reconstructed by EMPA, LA-ICP-MS, and Cr3+Raman mapping
2016
The term “ ontogeny ,” which is commonly used in biology, was introduced into the Earth sciences in 1961 to include the genesis and evolution of single crystals and crystal aggregates. The term encompasses nucleation , growth , alteration , and destruction . We present results of studies concerning the ontogeny of natural corundum (rubies and sapphires), and the chemical and morphological evolution of corundum crystals from deposits in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam). Trace-element compositions indicative for different corundum habits were determined by rim-to-rim LA-ICP-MS and electron microprobe analyses. Raman spectroscopy was applied for Cr 3+ photolumi…
Formation of refractory metal nuggets and their link to the history of CAIs
2015
Abstract Ca, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) often contain numerous refractory metal nuggets (RMNs), consisting of elements like Os, Ir, Mo, Pt and Ru. The nuggets are usually thought to have formed by equilibrium condensation from a gas of solar composition, simultaneously with or prior to oxide and silicate minerals. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for their extremely variable compositions, small sizes and associations with CAI minerals remain puzzling. Expanding on previous work on chemically separated RMNs, we have studied a large number of RMNs within their host CAIs from three different meteorite types, i.e., the highly primitive chondrite Acfer 094 (C2-ungrouped), Allende (CV3 ox…
NQR/NMR and Mössbauer spectroscopy of sulfides: potential and versatility
2013
Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear gamma-resonance (NGR or Mossbauer Effect) methods are generally described as highly sensitive tools in studies of local electronic structure and symmetry in solid-state materials. This is due to high informativity in electronic structure investigations, high resolution in phase-structural diagnostics (down to nano-scale), possibility to study polycrystalline and complex compounds, and to the non-destructive character of these methods. As applied to Earth sciences, both NQR/NMR and Mossbauer spectroscopy methods contribute to mineralogical material science and mineral physics. Another important aspect is the fac…
Understanding melt generation beneath the slow-spreading Kolbeinsey Ridge using 238U, 230Th, and 231Pa excesses
2011
International audience; To examine the petrogenesis and sources of basalts from the Kolbeinsey Ridge, one of the shallowest locations along the global ridge system, we present new measurements of Nd, Sr, Hf, and Pb isotopes and U-series disequilibria on 32 axial basalts. Young Kolbeinsey basalts (full-spreading rate = 1.8 cm/yr; 67 degrees 05'-70 degrees 26'N) display ((230)Th/(238)U) 1 with ((230)Th/(238)U) from 0.95 to 1.30 and have low U (11.3-65.6 ppb) and Th (33.0 ppb-2.40 ppm) concentrations. Except for characteristic isotopic enrichment near the Jan Mayen region, the otherwise depleted Kolbeinsey basalts (e. g. (87)Sr/(86)Sr = 0.70272-0.70301, epsilon(Nd) = 8.4-10.5, epsilon(Hf) = 15…
Nanostructure, composition and mechanisms of bivalve shell growth
2008
Abstract Freshwater and marine cultured pearls form via identical processes to the shells of bivalves and can therefore serve as models for the biomineralization of bivalve shells in general. Their nanostructure consists of membrane-coated granules (vesicles) which contain amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) at the beginning of the biomineralization sequence, preceding the crystallization of aragonite and vaterite. In contrast to the commonly accepted view, crystallization of ACC occurs rapidly and within the granular nano-compartments mediated by organic molecules much earlier than platelet formation. The interlamellar organic sheets in nacre that form the platelet structure of nacre themsel…
Computational study of water adsorption on halloysite nanotube in different pH environments
2020
Abstract The comprehension of structural and energetic features of halloysite nanotube (HNT) in different chemical environments plays a crucial role in developing new HNT based materials. So far these aspects were investigated by means of laboratory techniques that hardly are able to provide hints at atomistic level of detail. Our investigation aims to obtain such accurate informations through density functional theory calculations on HNT models, in order to figure out the most stable forms of HNT under different pH conditions. It turns out that, at low pH, the preferred protonation sites are located in the inner aluminic surface while in alkaline medium the silicic layer can show delocaliz…
Highly siderophile elements (Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd, Au) in impact melts from three European impact craters (Sääksjärvi, Mien, and Dellen): Clues to …
1997
Twenty-two large (10 g) impact melt samples from three Scandinavian craters (i.e., Saaksjarvi, Finland; and Mien and Dellen, Sweden) were analyzed for highly siderophile elements (HSE: platinum group elements, Rh, and Au) by the nickel sulfide technique in combination with neutron activation. The ten impact melt samples from Saaksjarvi are enriched in Ir and other highly siderophile elements (Ir = 2.48 ± 0.73 ng/g) relative to average upper crust concentrations (0.03 ± 0.02 ng/g Ir). The twelve Dellen and Mien samples are marginally enriched in Ir (0.48 ± 0.23 ng/g for Dellen, and 0.37 ± 0.23 ng/g for Mien). The amount of meteoritic component corresponds to 0.5% of a nominal CI component fo…
Mn, Fe, Zn and As speciation in a fast-growing ferromanganese marine nodule
2004
The speciation of Mn, Fe, As and Zn in a fast-growing (0.02mm/yr), shallow-marine ferromanganese nodule has been examined by micro X-ray fluorescence, micro X-ray diffraction, and micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This nodule exhibits alternating Fe-rich and Mn-rich layers reflecting redox variations in water chemistry. Fe occurs as two-line ferrihydrite. The As is strictly associated with Fe and is mostly pentavalent, with an environment similar to that of As sorbed on or coprecipitated with synthetic ferrihydrite. The Mn is in the form of turbostratic birnessite with ~;10 percent trivalent manganese in the layers and probably ~;8 percent corner-sharing metal octahedra in the interlayer…
Moisture absorption, thermal conductivity and noise mitigation of clay based plasters: The influence of mineralogical and textural characteristics
2016
Abstract Three pre-mixed clay based plasters successfully employed in green building practices in several European countries (Spain, France, Germany, and United Kingdom), mainly used for interior wall coating and finishing, were tested in this paper. Their compositional and textural characteristics as well as plastic behaviour were investigated through a multi-analytical approach in a previous paper. A natural earth (Terra Rossa red soil sampled in north-western Sicily), theoretically appropriate for the production of earthen plaster, was also subjected to the same analytical routine and compared with the three commercially available products. Humidity control capacity by the determination …
Geodynamic inversion to constrain the non-linear rheology of the lithosphere
2015
A common method to determine the strength of the lithosphere is through estimating its effective elastic thickness from the coherence between gravity and topography. This method assumes a priori that the lithosphere is a thin elastic plate floating on a viscous mantle. Whereas this seems to work well with oceanic plates, it has given controversial results in continental collision zones. Usually, continental collisions zones are well-studied areas for which additional geophysical datasets such as receiver functions and seismic tomography exist that constrain the geometry of the lithosphere and often show that it is rather complex. Yet, lithospheric geometry by itself is insufficient to under…