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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Extreme Differentiation Along Multiple Liquid Lines Of Descent In Strongly Peralkaline Magma Series At Pantelleria (Italy), John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Bogusław Bagiński, Katarzyna M. Liszewska Feb 2023

Extreme Differentiation Along Multiple Liquid Lines Of Descent In Strongly Peralkaline Magma Series At Pantelleria (Italy), John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Bogusław Bagiński, Katarzyna M. Liszewska

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The liquid line of descent from trachyte to pantellerite is controlled primarily by fractional crystallization of alkali feldspar, with whole rock compositions following a fractionation path along the ‘thermal valley’ in the peralkaline haplogranite system Qz-Ab-Or-Ac-Ns and terminating at a minimum on the feldspar-quartz cotectic. Although whole-rock compositions for different pantelleritic suites follow nearly identical paths in a Qz-Ab-Or projection that terminate near the experimental minimum (Qz40.5Or34.5Ab25 at 100 MPa, projected from Ac-Ns), matrix glass from samples with near-minimum compositions record extreme differentiation and form a ‘cotectic delta’ beyond the terminus of the ‘thermal valley’. Although each glass trend shows …


Contrasting Styles Of Inter-Caldera Volcanism In A Peralkaline System: Case Studies From Pantelleria (Sicily Channel, Italy), Pierangelo Romano, John C. White, Silvio G. Rotolo, Nina J. Jordan, Rosolino Cirrincione, Giovanni De Giorgio, Patrizia Fiannacca, Epifanio Vaccaro Mar 2022

Contrasting Styles Of Inter-Caldera Volcanism In A Peralkaline System: Case Studies From Pantelleria (Sicily Channel, Italy), Pierangelo Romano, John C. White, Silvio G. Rotolo, Nina J. Jordan, Rosolino Cirrincione, Giovanni De Giorgio, Patrizia Fiannacca, Epifanio Vaccaro

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The recent (<190 ka) volcanic history of Pantelleria is characterized by the eruption of nine peralkaline ignimbrites, ranging in composition from comenditic trachyte to comendite to pantellerite. The ~46 ka Green Tuff (GT) was the last of these ignimbrites, which was followed by many effusive and explosive low-volume eruptions of pantellerite from vents within the caldera moat and along the caldera rim. Although recent studies have shed additional light on the age, petrochemistry, and volcanology of the older ignimbrites, there is very little knowledge of magmatism that occurred between these older ignimbrites, primarily due to the very scarce exposures. In this paper, we present new field descriptions and geochemical data for three local peralkaline centers never studied before, two pre-GT and one post-GT, which share a similar setting with respect to the caldera scarps but differ in terms of their age, composition, and eruptive style. These centers include: (i) the older (~125 ka) Giache center (comenditic trachyte), (ii) the ~67 ka Attalora center (comendite, pantellerite), and (iii) the younger (~14 ka) Patite center (pantellerite).


Trondhjemite Leucosomes Generated By Partial Melting Of A Hornblende-Gabbro (Alvand Plutonic Complex, Hamedan, Nw Iran), Adel Saki, Federico Lucci, Mirmohammad Miri, John C. White Jan 2021

Trondhjemite Leucosomes Generated By Partial Melting Of A Hornblende-Gabbro (Alvand Plutonic Complex, Hamedan, Nw Iran), Adel Saki, Federico Lucci, Mirmohammad Miri, John C. White

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This work describes the petrogenesis of in situ and in-source trondhjemite leucosomes generated by low-degree partial melting of the Jurassic Cheshmeh-Ghasaban hornblende-gabbros in the northern Alvand batholith (Hamedan, NW Iran). These leucosomes occur in a metatexite migmatite as patches, net-structures, veinlets, and dikes at scales ranging from a few millimetres to a few metres. They have high SiO2 (mean ≈ 78 wt%) and Na2O (4–5 wt%) with low Al2O3 (wt%), K2 O (


Genesis Of Trondhjemite By Low-Pressure Fraction Anatexis Of Hornblende-Gabbro At Alvand Plutonic Complex (Hamedan, Nw Iran): Insights From Geochemical Modelling., Federico Lucci, Adel Saki, Mirmohammad Miri, Ahmad Rabiee, John C. White Jan 2021

Genesis Of Trondhjemite By Low-Pressure Fraction Anatexis Of Hornblende-Gabbro At Alvand Plutonic Complex (Hamedan, Nw Iran): Insights From Geochemical Modelling., Federico Lucci, Adel Saki, Mirmohammad Miri, Ahmad Rabiee, John C. White

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Amphibole-dominated dehydration melting of gabbro is the primary process responsible for the genesis of adakites, low-K tonalites, modern trondhjemites, and plagiogranites aswell as Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suites that represent the earliest examples of continental crust. Previous literature has mostly focused on the role of Al-rich amphibole during anatexis of a mafic source and many of these studies have investigated this process through experimental melting runs. However, due to experimental boundary conditions, little is known about partial melting of amphibole-bearing mafic rock at temperatures < 800°C for upper crustal conditions (pressure < 500 MPa). Classic and forward thermobarometric modelling suggests that in situ trondhjemite leucosomes, hosted by Cheshmeh-Ghasaban mafic metatexites (Alvand Plutonic Complex, Hamedan, NW Iran), represent a rare natural case study of a low-temperature incipient amphibole-dominated anatectic event of a mafic source with a primary assemblage (Pl+Hbl+Cpx+Bt+Opx) typical of a hornblende-bearing gabbroic rock.


Peralkaline Silicic Extrusive Rocks: Magma Genesis, Evolution, Plumbing Systems, And Eruption., Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Harvey E. Belkin Jan 2021

Peralkaline Silicic Extrusive Rocks: Magma Genesis, Evolution, Plumbing Systems, And Eruption., Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Harvey E. Belkin

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Peralkaline silicic extrusive rocks are an important component of the volcanological record. Here we review several aspects of their formation and evolution, including the tectonic settings in which they occur, their main petrological and geochemical features, the magmatic lineages along which they evolve, and the parameters (T, P, fO2, melt water contents) that control the lineages. Particular attention is paid to the composition of the extraordinary melts formed at the lowest temperatures. Various lines of evidence are presented to explain the silica-gaps in some lineages. The partial melting of continental crust and the role of crustal contamination …


Experimental And Thermodynamic Constraints On Mineral Equilibrium In Pantelleritic Magmas., Pierangelo Romano, Bruno Scaillet, John C. White, Joan Andujar, Ida Di Carlo, Silvio G. Rotolo Oct 2020

Experimental And Thermodynamic Constraints On Mineral Equilibrium In Pantelleritic Magmas., Pierangelo Romano, Bruno Scaillet, John C. White, Joan Andujar, Ida Di Carlo, Silvio G. Rotolo

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Crystallization experiments on two pantellerites from Pantelleria, Italy, provide new evidence for the relation-ships between mineral phases in pantelleritic rocks as well as the influence of temperature and redox conditionson mineral assemblages. Experiments were performed at 1 kbar with temperature ranging between 750–900°C,andfluid saturation conditions with XH2O (=H2O/H2O+CO2) between 0 and 1. Redox conditions were fixed at, or slightly below, the FMQ buffer. Results show that at temperature of 900 °C pantelleritic magmas are well above the liquidus regardless their water content; we also observed a decrease in liquidus temperature (800°C) with increasingly reducing conditions. Mineral assemblages of the natural …


Geochemical Constraints On Mantle Sources And Basalt Petrogenesis In The Strait Of Sicily Rift Zone (Italy): Insights Into The Importance Of Short Lengthscale Mantle Heterogeneity., John C. White, David A. Neave, Silvio G. Rotolo, Don F. Parker Jan 2020

Geochemical Constraints On Mantle Sources And Basalt Petrogenesis In The Strait Of Sicily Rift Zone (Italy): Insights Into The Importance Of Short Lengthscale Mantle Heterogeneity., John C. White, David A. Neave, Silvio G. Rotolo, Don F. Parker

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Igneous activity from the late Miocene to historic time (most recently 1891 ce) in the Strait of Sicily has created two islands (Pantelleria and Linosa) and several seamounts. These volcanoes are dominated by transitional (ol+hy-normative) to alkaline (ne-normative) basaltic lavas and scoriae; peralkaline felsic rocks (trachyte-rhyolite) crop out only on Pantelleria. Although most likely erupted through continental crust, basalts demonstrate no evidence of crustal contamination and are geochemically similar to oceanic island basalts (OIB). Despite their isotopic similarities, there are considerable compositional differences with respect to major and trace element geochemistry both between and within the two islands that are …


Anatomy Of The Magmatic Plumbing System Of Los Humeros Caldera (Mexico): Implications For Geothermal Systems., Federico Lucci, Gerardo Carrasco-Nuñez, Federico Rossetti, Thomas Theye, John C. White, Stefano Urbani, Hossein Azzizi, Yosihiro Asahara, Guido Giordano Jan 2020

Anatomy Of The Magmatic Plumbing System Of Los Humeros Caldera (Mexico): Implications For Geothermal Systems., Federico Lucci, Gerardo Carrasco-Nuñez, Federico Rossetti, Thomas Theye, John C. White, Stefano Urbani, Hossein Azzizi, Yosihiro Asahara, Guido Giordano

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Understanding the anatomy of magma plumbing systems of active volcanoes is essential not only for unraveling magma dynamics and eruptive behaviors but also to define the geometry, depth, and temperature of the heat sources for geothermal exploration. The Pleistocene–Holocene Los Humeros volcanic complex is part of the eastern Trans- Mexican Volcanic Belt (central Mexico), and it constitutes one of the most important exploited geothermal fields in Mexico with ca. 90MWof produced electricity. With the aim to decipher the anatomy (geometry and structure) of the magmatic plumbing system feeding the geothermal field at Los Humeros, we carried out a field-based petrological …


Volatiles And Trace Element Contents In Melt Inclusions From The Zoned Green Tuff Ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Sicily): Petrological Inferences., Pierangelo Romano, John C. White, Alessandro Ciulla, Ida Di Carlo, Claudia D'Oriano, Patrizia Landi, Silvio G. Rotolo Jan 2019

Volatiles And Trace Element Contents In Melt Inclusions From The Zoned Green Tuff Ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Sicily): Petrological Inferences., Pierangelo Romano, John C. White, Alessandro Ciulla, Ida Di Carlo, Claudia D'Oriano, Patrizia Landi, Silvio G. Rotolo

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The island of Pantelleria is one of the best known localities of bimodal mafic-felsic magmatism (alkali basalt and trachyte-pantellerite). Among the felsic rocks, the coexistence in a single eruption of products of both trachyte and pantellerite compositions is limited to few occurrences, the Green Tuff (GT) ignimbrite being one of these. The GT is compositionally zoned from pantellerite (70.1 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.86, 1871 ppm Zr) at the base to crystal-rich (>30 vol%) comenditic trachyte (63.4 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.10, 265 ppm Zr) at the top, although the pantellertic compositions dominate the erupted volume. We …


Compositional And Thermodynamic Variability In A Stratified Magma Chamber: Evidence From The Green Tuff Ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Italy)., Katarzyna M. Liszewska, John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Bogusław Bagiński Dec 2018

Compositional And Thermodynamic Variability In A Stratified Magma Chamber: Evidence From The Green Tuff Ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Italy)., Katarzyna M. Liszewska, John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Bogusław Bagiński

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Green Tuff Ignimbrite, Pantelleria, is compositionally zoned from pantellerite at the base to comenditic trachyte at the top, the variation apparently representing an inverted vertical zonation in the pre-eruptive reservoir. The main phenocryst assemblages are alkali feldspar + olivine + clinopyroxene + ilmenite + apatite in the trachytes and alkali feldspar + aenigmatite + clinopyroxene + quartz in the rhyolites. Thermodynamic modelling indicates that the temperature range was ~900–700°C, fO2 FMQ –1.5 to FMQ –0.5 (where FMQ is fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer) and aSiO2 (relative to quartz saturation) 0.74–1.00. Melt water contents ranged from ~1wt % in the trachytes to ~4wt …


Characterization Of Groundwater And Surface Water Geochemistry In An Agricultural Setting At Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Reid E. Buskirk, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone Mar 2018

Characterization Of Groundwater And Surface Water Geochemistry In An Agricultural Setting At Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Reid E. Buskirk, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Agricultural activities often contaminate watersheds with excess nutrients leading to poor water quality and eutrophication. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Meadowbrook Farm raises crops and livestock, which contribute dissolved nutrients to the neighboring Muddy Creek watershed. Consequently, the Farm is developing methods to sequester phosphorous and limit nutrient contamination.

Before phosphorous sequestration methods can be tested, Farm surface water and groundwater geochemistry must be better understood to determine hydrological pathways for nutrients. We use naturally-occurring dissolved cations, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), specific conductivity (SC), dissolved oxygen (DO%), total hardness, and alkalinity as chemical tracers to parse the contribution of dissolved ions …


Nutrient Export From A Proximal Intermittent Stream Draining Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, James Scott Winter, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone Mar 2018

Nutrient Export From A Proximal Intermittent Stream Draining Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, James Scott Winter, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Agricultural activities contribute significant amounts of nutrients that contaminate surface and subsurface water. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Meadowbrook Farm (Madison County, Kentucky) seeks to decrease its export of nutrients to Muddy Creek using sequestration techniques. The first step in the overall process is to determine nutrient export at present, before sequestration efforts take place. Here we estimate the export of phosphate, nitrate, and ammonium during Tropical Storm Cindy (July 22 to 24, 2017) from a proximal, intermittent stream, named the BRC. This stream drains a representative portion the Farm, receiving water from a dairy complex, pasture, and cropland.

To estimate …


Tuhualite In A Peralkaline Rhyolitic Ignimbrite From Pantelleria, Italy, Boguslaw Baginski, Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Lidia Jezak Jan 2018

Tuhualite In A Peralkaline Rhyolitic Ignimbrite From Pantelleria, Italy, Boguslaw Baginski, Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Lidia Jezak

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

An occurrence of the rare mineral tuhualite (NaFe3+Fe2+Si6O15) is reported in a peralkaline rhyolitic ignimbrite from the 11 island of Pantelleria, Italy. The mineral formed during devitrification of glassy fiamme and varies in form from anhedral plates to 12 perfect euhedral in open vesicles. There is significant replacement of Fe2+ by Mn (FMQ in the presence of a 14 hydrous fluid.


Groundwater And Subsurface Water In A Landscape With Shallow Bedrock: Implications For Agricultural Nutrient Export, Laura Kelley, Hunter R. Evans, Reid E. Buskirk, Jonathan M. Malzone, Walter S. Borowski Nov 2017

Groundwater And Subsurface Water In A Landscape With Shallow Bedrock: Implications For Agricultural Nutrient Export, Laura Kelley, Hunter R. Evans, Reid E. Buskirk, Jonathan M. Malzone, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Controls on nutrient export from agricultural landscapes include regional hydrological and geological conditions. In many central Kentucky basins shallow fractured bedrock produces focused groundwater discharge and flashy runoff events. Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm is currently experimenting with nutrient sequestration techniques; however the effectiveness of these techniques given the local hydrogeology needs to be quantified. Our objective was to determine the potential pathways for nutrient export by mapping key hydrologic features and using a watershed approach. The key features mapped were springs, tile drains, runoff channels, land use and the underlying geology. We chose a 0.46 km2 watershed to …


Geochemical Characteristics And Storm Dynamics Of Surface Waters And Groundwater At Eastern Kentucky University’S Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Reid E. Buskirk, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone Nov 2017

Geochemical Characteristics And Storm Dynamics Of Surface Waters And Groundwater At Eastern Kentucky University’S Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Reid E. Buskirk, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Agricultural activities often contaminate watersheds with excess nutrients leading to poor water quality and eutrophication. Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm raises crops and livestock, contributing dissolved nutrients to the neighboring Muddy Creek watershed. Consequently, the Farm is developing methods to sequester and limit nutrient contamination.

Before phosphorous sequestration methods can be tested, the geochemistry of surface water and groundwater on the Farm need to be better understood to determine hydrological pathways. We use naturally-occurring, dissolved cations as tracers to identify the contribution of different water sources and interpret storm events.

Water samples taken from springs (groundwater), surface water, and storm …


Are 34s-Enriched Authigenic Sulfide Minerals A Proxy For Elevated Methane Flux And Gas Hydrates In The Geologic Record?, Walter S. Borowski, Nancy M. Rodriguez, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii Jan 2013

Are 34s-Enriched Authigenic Sulfide Minerals A Proxy For Elevated Methane Flux And Gas Hydrates In The Geologic Record?, Walter S. Borowski, Nancy M. Rodriguez, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The sulfate–methane transition (SMT) zone is a diagenetic transition within anoxic marine sediments created by the metabolic activity of a consortium of sulfate-reducing bacteria and methane-oxidizing Archaea. As interstitial dissolved sulfate is consumed by microbially mediated sulfate reduction of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) large enrichments of 34S occur in the interstitial sulfate pool. These isotopic enrichments are transmitted to the dissolved sulfide pool (∑HS) and subsequently into sulfide minerals (So, ∼FeS, FeS2).

We investigate the sulfur isotopic composition of pore-water sulfate and sulfide minerals at three sites underlain …


Concentration Of Heavy Metals In The Waters And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky: An Evaluation Of Plausible Sources, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski Mar 2011

Concentration Of Heavy Metals In The Waters And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky: An Evaluation Of Plausible Sources, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Heavy metal pollution remains a problem in natural waters, particularly for localities near plausible anthropogenic sources. We assayed the level of heavy metals in surface waters and within surface sediments of Wilgreen Lake, whose watershed drains industrial, urban, agricultural, and residential areas near Richmond, Kentucky. We sampled both surface (oxic) and deep waters (anoxic) when the lake was stratified over Summer 2010. Water samples were treated according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols and were digested with trace-metal-grade nitric and hydrochloric acids. Sediment samples were collected with a grab sampler and digested using established EPA procedures with trace-metal-grade nitric …


Patterns Of Heavy Metal Concentration In Core Sediments, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Clint Mcmaine, Walter S. Borowski Mar 2011

Patterns Of Heavy Metal Concentration In Core Sediments, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Clint Mcmaine, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Accumulation of heavy metals in ecosystems is a known environmental problem, and several possible industry sources occur within the watershed of Wilgreen Lake, which is fed its two major tributaries, Taylor Fork and Old Town Branch. Elevated levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and nickel were found within the waters of Wilgreen Lake during a preliminary survey in 2007. A possible source of these contaminant occurrences is diffusion from lake sediments, which record past and present activities within their drainage basins.

To obtain a history of anthropogenic practices within the drainage basin, we took 1-meter-long cores of lake sediment in each …


Heavy Metal Concentrations In Water And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski Dec 2010

Heavy Metal Concentrations In Water And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Heavy metal pollution remains problematic in natural waters, particularly for localities near plausible anthropogenic sources. We assayed the level of heavy metals in surface waters and within surface sediments of Wilgreen Lake, whose watershed drains industrial, urban, agricultural, and residential areas near Richmond, Kentucky. Water samples were treated according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols and digested with trace-metal-grade nitric and hydrochloric acids. Sediment samples were collected with a grab sampler and digested using established EPA procedures with hydrogen peroxide and trace-metal-grade nitric acid. Both water samples and sediment samples were sent to Activation Laboratories for analysis, and were measured …


Heavy Metal Concentrations In Water And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski Nov 2010

Heavy Metal Concentrations In Water And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Heavy metal pollution remains a problem in natural waters, particularly for localities near plausible anthropogenic sources. We assayed the level of heavy metals in surface waters and within surface sediments of Wilgreen Lake, whose watershed drains industrial, urban, and residential areas near Richmond, Kentucky.

Water samples were treated according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols and digested with trace-metal-grade nitric and hydrochloric acids. Sediment samples were collected with a grab sampler and digested using established EPA procedures with hydrogen peroxide and trace-metal-grade nitric acid. Both water samples and sediment samples were sent to Activation Laboratories for analysis, and were measured …


Patterns Of Heavy Metal Concentration In Core Sediments, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Clint Mcmaine, Walter S. Borowski Nov 2010

Patterns Of Heavy Metal Concentration In Core Sediments, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Clint Mcmaine, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Elevated levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and nickel were found within the waters of Wilgreen Lake during a preliminary survey in 2007. Accumulation of heavy metals in freshwater systems is a known problem. Heavy metals enter the lake in the dissolved phase or adsorbed onto sediment particles and may be linked to industries within the lake’s watershed. Under certain geochemical conditions such as anoxia, heavy metals may detach from sediment particles and diffuse into overlying lake waters, causing a renewed influx of heavy metals into the ecosystem. We hypothesize that heavy metals should decrease in concentration upcore as a result …


Enrichments Of Heavy Sulfur (34s) In Sulfide Minerals: Gas Hydrates, Methane Delivery, And Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, Walter S. Borowski, Namcy M. Rodriguez, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii Jun 2010

Enrichments Of Heavy Sulfur (34s) In Sulfide Minerals: Gas Hydrates, Methane Delivery, And Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, Walter S. Borowski, Namcy M. Rodriguez, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The sulfur isotopic composition of authigenic, sedimentary sulfide minerals is largely controlled by sulfate reduction and related processes within sedimentary environments. Histograms show that that d34S values of sulfide minerals forming in depositional and diagenetic environments are most often negative (d34S < 0o/oo CDT) reflecting the original isotopic composition of seawater sulfate (now ~21o/oo), microbially-mediated fractionations of ~-8 to -40o/oo (a = 1.029-1.059) during sulfate reduction, and more extreme fractionations caused by sulfur disproportionation. Enrichments of heavy sulfur (d34S > 0o/oo) in sulfide …


Sulfur Geochemistry And Diagenesis In A Gas Hydrate Terrane, Cascadia Margin, Offshore Oregon: Role Of Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, David Deigert, Walter S. Borowski Mar 2007

Sulfur Geochemistry And Diagenesis In A Gas Hydrate Terrane, Cascadia Margin, Offshore Oregon: Role Of Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, David Deigert, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We present sulfide mineral data from south Hydrate Ridge located in a gas hydrate terrane, offshore Oregon. Sulfide sulfur concentration and the isotopic composition of sulfur (d34S) in authigenic sulfide minerals are analyzed from sediment samples collected on Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) Leg 204. Shallow sediment samples (<25 >mbsf) assess the relative importance of anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) as a biogeochemical process, both here and at the Blake Ridge, another well known gas hydrate terrane offshore southeastern United States. Deep samples (>25 mbsf) are used to evaluate sulfur diagenesis and its controls from early Pleistocene to the …


A Preliminary Study Of Sulfide Mineral Formation In Methane-Rich, Marine Sediments Associated With Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, Cascadia Continental Margin, Offshore Oregon, David Deigert, Walter S. Borowski Nov 2006

A Preliminary Study Of Sulfide Mineral Formation In Methane-Rich, Marine Sediments Associated With Anaerobic Methane Oxidation, Cascadia Continental Margin, Offshore Oregon, David Deigert, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Within gas hydrate settings, sulfide mineralization in marine sediments is likely controlled by two microbially-mediated, sulfate-depleting processes: anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) and sulfate reduction. If large amounts of methane are delivered to the sulfate-methane interface (SMI), predominantly by diffusion, larger amounts of solid sulfide sulfur should occur there as dissolved sulfide combines with iron, forming an authigenic precipitate. We measure the amount of diagenetic sulfide sulfur at three locations in the Hydrate Ridge vicinity by extracting the bulk sedimentary sulfide-phase minerals (So, FeS, and FeS2) through chromium reduction, precipitating sulfide sulfur as silver sulfide, and gravimetrically …


Data Report: Dissolved Sulfide Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Sulfide And Sulfate In Pore Waters, Odp Leg 204, Hydrate Ridge And Vicinity, Cascadia Margin, Offshore Oregon, Walter S. Borowski Sep 2006

Data Report: Dissolved Sulfide Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Sulfide And Sulfate In Pore Waters, Odp Leg 204, Hydrate Ridge And Vicinity, Cascadia Margin, Offshore Oregon, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We report dissolved sulfide sulfur concentrations and the sulfur isotopic composition of dissolved sulfate and sulfide in pore waters from sediments collected during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 204. Porewater sulfate is depleted rapidly as the depth to the sulfate/methane interface (SMI) occurs between 4.5 and 11 meters below seafloor at flank and basin locations. Dissolved sulfide concentration reaches values as high as 11.3 mM in Hole 1251E. Otherwise, peak sulfide concentrations lie between 3.2 and 6.1 mM and occur immediately above the SMI. The sulfur isotopic composition of interstitial sulfate generally becomes enriched in 34 S with increasing sediment depth. …


A Preliminary Comparison Of The Sulfur Geochemistry Between Two Gas Hydrate Terranes, Michael D. Spicer, Walter S. Borowski Mar 2006

A Preliminary Comparison Of The Sulfur Geochemistry Between Two Gas Hydrate Terranes, Michael D. Spicer, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We compare the authigenic sulfide mineral geochemistry of two, different gas hydrate terranes: the accretionary wedge of the Cascadia continental margin (offshore Oregon) and the passive margin of the Blake Ridge region (offshore southeastern US). We expect diagenetic processes effecting sulfide mineral formation (elemental sulfur, iron monosulfides, and pyrite) within these sediments to respond to differing geologic conditions at each setting. In both settings, methane diffuses upward from gas hydrates to the methane-sulfate interface (SMI), where it is consumed by reaction with sulfate during anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO). This microbially-mediated, diagenetic process produces an interstitial environment conducive to authigenic sulfide …


Sulfide Mineralization In Deep-Water Marine Sediments Related To Methane Transport, Methane Consumption, And Methane Gas Hydrates, Matthew K. Thompson, Walter S. Borowski, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii Apr 2005

Sulfide Mineralization In Deep-Water Marine Sediments Related To Methane Transport, Methane Consumption, And Methane Gas Hydrates, Matthew K. Thompson, Walter S. Borowski, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Patterns of sulfide sulfur concentration and sulfur isotopic composition (d34 S) are perhaps related to upward methane transport, especially in sediments underlain by methane gas hydrate deposits. Increased methane delivery augments the effect of anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) occurring at the sulfate-methane interface (SMI). Sulfate and methane co-consumption results in production of dissolved sulfide at the interface that is eventually sequestered within sulfide minerals (elemental sulfur, iron monosulfide, pyrite).

We examine the sediments of two piston cores collected over the Blake Ridge gas hydrate deposits (offshore southeastern United States) by extracting total sedimentary sulfide using chromium reduction. We use …


Sulfide Mineralization Within Modern, Deep-Sea Marine Sediments And Oxygenation Of The Early Earth, Matthew K. Thompson, Walter S. Borowski Feb 2005

Sulfide Mineralization Within Modern, Deep-Sea Marine Sediments And Oxygenation Of The Early Earth, Matthew K. Thompson, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Earth’s atmosphere and oceans have not always been oxygenated. The exact pathway and timing of the oxygenation of the Earth’s early oceans is poorly constrained, although it appears that oxygenation was essentially complete by the beginning of the Cambrian (545 million years ago). Indeed, the appearance and diversification of the first animals may have been dependent on threshold levels of oxygen. Eventually we intend to use the sulfur isotopic composition of sulfide minerals (iron monosulfides and pyrite) present in sedimentary rocks to reconstruct the oxygenation of Proterozoic oceans, but first must strive to understand sulfide mineral formation in the …


Variations In Mineralogy, Temperature, And Oxygen Fugacity In A Suite Of Strongly Peralkaline Lavas And Tuffs, Pantelleria, Italy., John C. White, Minghua Ren, Don Parker Jan 2005

Variations In Mineralogy, Temperature, And Oxygen Fugacity In A Suite Of Strongly Peralkaline Lavas And Tuffs, Pantelleria, Italy., John C. White, Minghua Ren, Don Parker

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Eight samples of pantelleritic lava and tuff and a lithic inclusion of trachyte from Pantelleria, Italy, have been thoroughly analyzed with an electron microprobe. These samples reveal five different mineral assemblages if classified by the presence of fayalite, aenigmatite, ilmenite, and magnetite: (1) augite + fayalite + ilmenite + magnetite, (2) augite + fayalite + ilmenite, (3) hedenbergite or sodian hedenbergite + fayalite + ilmenite + aenigmatite + quartz, (4) sodian hedenbergite or aegirine-augite + ilmenite + aenigmatite + quartz ± ferrorichterite, and (5) aegirine-augite + aenigmatite + quartz. Alkali feldspar (Or35–37) is present as the dominant phyric phase in …


Sulfide Sulfur Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Methane Seep Sediments, V. Lynn Means, Walter S. Borowski May 2004

Sulfide Sulfur Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Methane Seep Sediments, V. Lynn Means, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.