SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Experimental Results”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

USGS2009

Pilot- and bench-scale testing of faecal indicator bacteria survival in marine beach sand near point sources

Aim: Factors affecting faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and pathogen survival/persistence in sand remain largely unstudied. This work elucidates how biological and physical factors affect die-off in beach sand following sewage spills. Methods and Results: Solar disinfection with mechanical mixing was pilot-tested as a disinfection procedure after a large sewage spill in Los Angeles. Effects of solar exposure, mechanical mixing, predation and/or competition, season, and moisture were tested at bench scale. First-order decay constants for Escherichia coli ranged between -0??23 and -1??02 per day, and for enterococci between -0??5 and -1??0 per day. Desiccation was a dominant factor for E. coli but not enterococci inactivation. Effects of season were investigated through a comparison of experimental results from winter, spring, and fall. Conclusions: Moisture was the dominant factor controlling E. coli inactivation kinetics. Initial microbial community and sand temperature were also important factors. Mechanical mixing, common in beach grooming, did not consistently reduce bacterial levels. Significance and Impact of the Study: Inactivation rates are mainly dependent on moisture and high sand temperature. Chlorination was an effective disinfection treatment in sand microcosms inoculated with raw influent. ?? 2009 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Journal of Applied Microbiology↗

USGS2020

Generation of calc-alkaline magmas during crystallization at high oxygen fugacity: An experimental and petrologic study of tephras from Buldir Volcano, western Aleutian Arc, Alaska, USA

Despite agreement that calc-alkaline volcanism occurs at subduction zones and is responsible for the genesis of continental landmasses, there is no consensus on the source of the Fe-depleted signature hallmark to calc-alkaline volcanism. In this study, we utilize mafic tephras collected from Buldir Volcano to address the genesis of strongly calc-alkaline volcanic rocks (those with a low Tholeiitic Index; ≤0·7) in a segment of the western Aleutian Arc to determine if the eruptions are plausibly part of a liquid line of descent, if they are mixtures of crustal melts and parental magmas, or if they are mixtures of melts of the mantle and the subducting slab. We conducted a series of H 2 O-saturated phase equilibrium experiments (1175–1000°C; 100 MPa) in a rapid-quench cold-seal (MHC) apparatus on the most primitive natural lava from Buldir (9·34 wt % MgO) at oxidizing conditions near the Re–ReO 2 buffer. We confirmed that all experiments equilibrated 0·3 ± 0·23 log units above the Re–ReO 2 buffer (ΔQFM ∼ +2·8) using X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy. Chromite is the liquidus phase, followed by olivine, then plagioclase, then clinopyroxene, and finally hornblende. Once clinopyroxene saturates, spinel composition shifts to magnetite. We compared our experimental results to the major element geochemistry and petrology of six tephras (51·9–54·8 wt % SiO 2 ) from Buldir collected during the 2015 field season of the GeoPRISMS shared platform. Tephras contain olivine + plagioclase + clinopyroxene + spinel ± hornblende; plagioclase comprises most of the crystalline volume, followed by either olivine or hornblende. Spinel is ubiquitous; with Cr-rich spinel inclusions in olivine and hornblende, and magnetite in the groundmass. Variations in phenocryst assemblages and compositions between samples can be attributed to differences in pre-eruptive temperatures, where hotter samples are devoid of hornblende, and contain Fo-rich olivine and plagioclase with lower An-contents, owing to the position of the mineral-in curves at fluid-saturated conditions. Experimental glasses match the depletion in FeO T observed in the tephra whole rock compositions. The continuous depletion in FeO T is attributable to saturation of spinel as a liquidus phase (initially as chromite) and continuous crystallization through the experimental series (changing to magnetite at colder temperatures). In contrast to the natural samples, the experiments show enrichment in TiO 2 with decreasing MgO, suggesting that differentiation did not occur at 100 MPa on Buldir. The TiO 2 depletion in volcanic rocks from Buldir can be accounted for if hornblende crystallization occurs close to the liquidus of a parental magma; a condition that is met at higher pressures and hydrous conditions. The emerging picture for Buldir Island is that (1) oxidizing conditions are required to drive the observed depletions in FeO T via crystallization of spinel, and (2) elevated H 2 O contents and high pressures are required to saturate hornblende close to the liquidus to reproduce the entire suite of major elements. Our study provides a mechanism to generate the calc-alkaline trends observed at Buldir without requiring mixing of slab and mantle melts. We conclude that calc-alkaline volcanic rocks with extremely low Tholeiitic Indices (0·7), like those from Buldir, cannot be generated in absence of high oxygen fugacity, even at high pressure and/or elevated water pressures.

Alaska↗

USGS2023

Strength recovery in quartzite is controlled by changes in friction in experiments at hydrothermal conditions up to 200°C

The rate of fault zone restrengthening between earthquakes can be influenced by both frictional and cohesive healing processes. Friction is dependent on effective normal stress while cohesion is independent of normal stress, potentially explaining—in part—the lack of depth dependence of earthquake stress drops. Although amenable to laboratory testing, few studies have systematically addressed the normal stress dependence of restrengthening rate. This is partially due to difficulty in separating relative contributions of friction and cohesion in recovery of fault strength. We present results from a series of slide-hold-slide tests on thin layers (≤10 𝜇m) of ultrafine quartz gouge that develop during shearing of initially bare-surface quartzite. Tests were conducted at 10 MPa constant pore pressure, 20–200 MPa constant effective normal stress, and temperatures of 22°–200°C. Restrengthening, defined as the difference between peak shear stress measured after resumption of sliding and steady-state sliding shear stress, increases with the log of hold duration. The 200°C healing rate, 0.014 per e-fold increase in time, is comparable to that determined from seismological observations along the Calaveras Fault, California. Construction of Mohr-Coulomb failure envelopes shows that changes in cohesion are small (<1 MPa) and independent of hold durations to 10 5 s, indicating that the increased strength is due to changes in the friction coefficient. These experimental results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that cohesive healing explains the depth independence of earthquake stress drop, but higher temperatures, longer time-scales, and more complex mineralogy could facilitate cohesive healing in natural fault systems.

Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth↗

USGS2005

How good are estimates of transmissivity from slug tests in fractured rock?

Slug tests in fractured rock usually are interpreted with models that assume homogeneous formation properties, even though hydraulic properties of fractures can vary by many orders of magnitude over the length of boreholes. To investigate the impact of heterogeneity on the interpretation of slug tests in fractured rock, slug tests were conducted over large intervals of boreholes in crystalline rock in central New Hampshire, and interpreted using a homogeneous model. The results of the slug tests were then compared with estimates of transmissivity from fluid-injection tests conducted over shorter intervals in the same boreholes. The fluid-injection tests showed transmissivity to vary more than six orders of magnitude over the length of the boreholes; however, the sum of the transmissivities from the fluid-injection tests were within an order of magnitude of the transmissivity estimated from the slug tests. Although the two estimates of transmissivity were within an order of magnitude of each other, the water level responses during the slug tests did not exactly match the responses predicted by the homogeneous model. To investigate the effect of heterogeneity on water level responses during slug tests, a Laplace-transform solution was developed for slug tests conducted in boreholes containing multiple fractures with hydraulic properties that vary over the length of the borehole. A comparison of this solution with the homogeneous model shows no difference between the shape of water level responses in a homogeneous formation and a (layered) heterogeneous formation. Furthermore, the transmissivity estimated using a homogeneous model is within an order of magnitude of the prescribed transmissivity in the heterogeneous model. Thus, differences between responses predicted from a homogeneous model and measured water levels during slug tests can be attributed to phenomena such as nonradial flow in the vicinity of the borehole, and not heterogeneous hydraulic properties over the length of the borehole. The experimental results of this investigation show that even when conditions such as nonradial flow are present in the vicinity of the borehole, interpretations of slug tests using a homogeneous model provided order-of-magnitude estimates of transmissivity in the crystalline rock terrane under consideration.Slug tests in fractured rock are usually interpreted with models that assume homogeneous formation properties, although hydraulic properties of fractures can vary by many order of magnitude over the length of the boreholes. To investigate the impact of heterogeneity on the interpretation of slug tests in fractured rocks, slug tests were conducted over large intervals of boreholes in crystalline rock in central New Hampshire. Tests results were interpreted using a homogeneous model. A Laplace-transform solution was developed for slug tests conducted in boreholes containing multiple fractures with hydraulic properties. Finally, a comparison was made between this solution and the homogeneous model.

Ground Water↗

USGS2016

Evolution of fracture permeability of ultramafic rocks undergoing serpentinization at hydrothermal conditions: An experimental study

We performed flow-through laboratory experiments on five cylindrically cored samples of ultramafic rocks, in which we generated a well-mated through-going tensile fracture, to investigate evolution of fracture permeability during serpentinization. The samples were tested in a triaxial loading machine at a confining pressure of 50 MPa, pore pressure of 20 MPa, and temperature of 260°C, simulating a depth of 2 km under hydrostatic conditions. A pore pressure difference of up to 2 MPa was imposed across the ends of the sample. Fracture permeability decreased by 1–2 orders of magnitude during the 200–330 h experiments. Electron microprobe and SEM data indicated the formation of needle-shaped crystals of serpentine composition along the walls of the fracture, and chemical analyses of sampled pore fluids were consistent with dissolution of ferro-magnesian minerals. By comparing the difference between fracture permeability and matrix permeability measured on intact samples of the same rock types, we concluded that the contribution of the low matrix permeability to flow is negligible and essentially all of the flow is focused in the tensile fracture. The experimental results suggest that the fracture network in long-lived hydrothermal circulation systems can be sealed rapidly as a result of mineral precipitation, and generation of new permeability resulting from a combination of tectonic and crystallization-induced stresses is required to maintain fluid circulation.

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems↗

USGS2011

Salinity tolerance of non-native suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae: Pterygoplichthys) in south-eastern Mexico: Implications for invasion and dispersal

1. Salinity tolerance is one of several important physiological attributes that determine invasion success and the pattern of dispersal of introduced aquatic organisms. Introduced freshwater fishes able to tolerate elevated salinities have the potential to invade and exploit brackish-water (mixohaline) environments and use estuaries and coastal waters as 'bridges' for dispersing from one coastal river system to another. 2. Several members of the neotropical suckermouth armoured catfish genus Pterygoplichthys (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) have established non-native populations in inland waters of North and Central America, Asia and islands in the Caribbean, and Pacific and Indian oceans. Loricariids are generally considered to be strictly freshwater; but a few naturally occur in mesohaline habitats. 3. Catch and habitat data from 2004–2005 and 2009–2011 fish surveys in the Grijalva–Usumacinta River delta region (south-eastern Mexico) confirmed that introduced Pterygoplichthys populations established in upstream freshwater sites (where these catfish are abundant) have recently dispersed into downstream oligohaline and mesohaline estuarine habitats. During 2009–2011 surveys, these non-native catfish — tentatively identified as P. pardalis or its hybrids — were found in sites with salinities ranging from 1 to 8 ppt (mean 5.2 ppt). 4. Acute-salinity experiments were conducted with Pterygoplichthys (110–302 mm standard length, N =140) captured in the Grijalva–Usumacinta Basin to determine upper salinity tolerance levels. Tests demonstrated that individuals maintained in salinities of 0.2 ppt were able to survive abrupt (acute) exposure to salinities up to 10 ppt with little mortality over 10 days (240 h experimental endpoint). A few individuals survived abrupt exposure to 11 and 12 ppt for 20 or more hours, although none survived more than a few hours at 16 ppt or greater. 5. These field and experimental results provide quantitative evidence that non-native Pterygoplichthys are physiologically capable of surviving mesohaline conditions for extended periods and that non-native populations in Mexico are invading and presumably exploiting estuarine and other coastal environments, perhaps as feeding areas and potentially as dispersal routes.

Grijalva–Usumacinta River delta↗

USGS2017

Host density increases parasite recruitment but decreases host risk in a snail-trematode system

Most species aggregate in local patches. High host density in patches increases contact rate between hosts and parasites, increasing parasite transmission success. At the same time, for environmentally-transmitted parasites, high host density can decrease infection risk to individual hosts, because infective stages are divided among all hosts in a patch, leading to safety in numbers. We tested these predictions using the California horn snail, Cerithideopsis californica (=Cerithidea californica), which is the first intermediate host for at least 19 digenean trematode species in California estuaries. Snails become infected by ingesting trematode eggs or through penetration by free-swimming miracidia that hatch from trematode eggs deposited with final-host (bird or mammal) feces. This complex life cycle decouples infective-stage production from transmission, raising the possibility of an inverse relationship between host density and infection risk. In a field survey, higher snail density was associated with increased trematode (infected snail) density, but decreased trematode prevalence, consistent with either safety in numbers, parasitic castration, or both. To determine the extent to which safety in numbers drove the negative snail density-trematode prevalence association, we manipulated uninfected snail density in 83 cages at eight sites within Carpinteria Salt Marsh (CA, USA). At each site, we quantified snail density and used data on final-host (bird and raccoon) distributions to control for between-site variation in infective-stage supply. After three months, overall trematode infections per cage increased with snail-biomass density. For egg-transmitted trematodes, per-snail infection risk decreased with snail-biomass density in the cage and surrounding area, whereas per-snail infection risk did not decrease for miracidium-transmitted trematodes. Furthermore, both trematode recruitment and infection risk increased with infective-stage input, but this was significant only for miracidium-transmitted species. A model parameterized with our experimental results and snail densities from 524 field transects estimated that safety in numbers, when combined with host aggregation, halved per-capita infection risk in this snail population. We conclude that, depending on transmission mode, host density can enhance parasite recruitment and reduce per-capita infection risk.

Ecology↗

USGS2007

Pros and cons of multistory RC tunnel-form (box-type) buildings

Tunnel-form structural systems (i.e., box systems), having a load-carrying mechanism composed of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls and slabs only, have been prevailingly utilized in the construction of multistory residential units. The superiority of tunnel-form buildings over their conventional counterparts stems from the enhanced earthquake resistance they provide, and the considerable speed and economy of their construction. During recent earthquakes in Turkey, they exhibited better seismic performance in contrast to the damaged condition of a number of RC frames and dual systems (i.e., RC frames with shear wall configurations). Thus the tunnel-form system has become a primary construction technique in many seismically active regions. In this paper, the strengths and weaknesses of tunnel-form buildings are addressed in terms of design considerations and construction applications. The impacts of shear wall reinforcement ratio and its detailing on system ductility, loadcarrying capacity and failure mechanism under seismic forces are evaluated at section and global system levels. Influences of tension/compression coupling and wall openings on the response are also discussed. Three-dimensional nonlinear finite element models, verified through comparisons with experimental results, were used for numerical assessments. Findings from this projection provide useful information on adequate vertical reinforcement ratio and boundary reinforcement to achieve enhanced performance of tunnel-form buildings under seismic actions. Copyright ?? 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings↗

USGS1990

Transmission electron microscopy of subsolidus oxidation and weathering of olivine

Olivine crystals in basaltic andesites which crop out in the Abert Rim, south-central Oregon have been studied by high-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy. The observations reveal three distinct assemblages of alteration products that seem to correspond to three episodes of olivine oxidation. The olivine crystals contain rare, dense arrays of coherently intergrown Ti-free magnetite and inclusions of a phase inferred to be amorphous silica. We interpret this first assemblage to be the product of an early subsolidus oxidation event in the lava. The second olivine alteration assemblage contains complex ordered intergrowths on (001) of forsterite-rich olivine and laihunite (distorted olivine structure with Fe3+ charge balanced by vacancies). Based on experimental results for laihunite synthesis (Kondoh et al. 1985), these intergrowths probably formed by olivine oxidation between 400 and 800??C. The third episode of alteration involves the destruction of olivine by low-temperature hydrothermal alteration and weathering. Elongate etch-pits and channels in the margins of fresh olivine crystals contain semi-oriented bands of smectite. Olivine weathers to smectite and hematite, and subsequently to arrays of oriented hematite crystals. The textures resemble those reported by Eggleton (1984) and Smith et al. (1987). We find no evidence for a metastable phase intermediate between olivine and smectite ("M" - Eggleton 1984). The presence of laihunite exerts a strong control on the geometry of olivine weathering. Single laihunite layers and laihunite-forsteritic olivine intergrowths increase the resistance of crystals to weathering. Preferential development of channels between laihunite layers occurs where growth of laihunite produced compositional variations in olivine, rather than where coherency-strain is associated with laihunite-olivine interfaces. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS1978

Friction of rocks

Experimental results in the published literature show that at low normal stress the shear stress required to slide one rock over another varies widely between experiments. This is because at low stress rock friction is strongly dependent on surface roughness. At high normal stress that effect is diminished and the friction is nearly independent of rock type. If the sliding surfaces are separated by gouge composed of Montmorillonite or vermiculite the friction can be very low. ?? 1978 Birkha??user Verlag.

Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH↗

USGS2014

Straddling the tholeiitic/calc-alkaline transition: The effects of modest amounts of water on magmatic differentiation at Newberry Volcano, Oregon

Melting experiments have been performed at 1 bar (anhydrous) and 1- and 2-kbar H 2 O-saturated conditions to study the effect of water on the differentiation of a basaltic andesite. The starting material was a mafic pumice from the compositionally zoned tuff deposited during the ~75 ka caldera-forming eruption of Newberry Volcano, a rear-arc volcanic center in the central Oregon Cascades. Pumices in the tuff of Newberry caldera (TNC) span a continuous silica range from 53 to 74 wt% and feature an unusually high-Na 2 O content of 6.5 wt% at 67 wt% SiO 2 . This wide range of magmatic compositions erupted in a single event makes the TNC an excellent natural laboratory in which to study the conditions of magmatic differentiation. Our experimental results and mineral–melt hygrometers/thermometers yield similar estimates of pre-eruptive H 2 O contents and temperatures of the TNC liquids. The most primitive (mafic) basaltic andesites record a pre-eruptive H 2 O content of 1.5 wt% and a liquidus temperature of 1,060–1,070 °C at upper crustal pressure. This modest H 2 O content produces a distinctive fractionation trend that is much more enriched in Na, Fe, and Ti than the calc-alkaline trend typical of wetter arc magmas, but slightly less enriched in Fe and Ti than the tholeiitic trend of dry magmas. Modest H 2 O contents might be expected at Newberry Volcano given its location in the Cascade rear arc, and the same fractionation trend is also observed in the rim andesites of the rear-arc Medicine Lake volcano in the southern Cascades. However, the Na–Fe–Ti enrichment characteristic of modest H 2 O (1–2 wt%) is also observed to the west of Newberry in magmas erupted from the arc axis, such as the Shevlin Park Tuff and several lava flows from the Three Sisters. This shows that modest-H 2 O magmas are being generated directly beneath the arc axis as well as in the rear arc. Because liquid lines of descent are particularly sensitive to water content in the range of 0–3 wt% H 2 O, they provide a quantitative and reliable tool for precisely determining pre-eruptive H 2 O content using major-element data from pumices or lava flows. Coupled enrichment in Na, Fe, and Ti relative to the calc-alkaline trend is a general feature of fractional crystallization in the presence of modest amounts of H 2 O, which may be used to look for “damp” fractionation sequences elsewhere.

Oregon↗

USGS2017

Voluminous arc dacites as amphibole reaction-boundary liquids

Dacites dominate the large-volume, explosive eruptions in magmatic arcs, and compositionally similar granodiorites and tonalites constitute the bulk of convergent margin batholiths. Shallow, pre-eruptive storage conditions are well known for many dacitic arc magmas through melt inclusions, Fe–Ti oxides, and experiments, but their potential origins deeper in the crust are not well determined. Accordingly, we report experimental results identifying the P–T–H 2 O conditions under which hydrous dacitic liquid may segregate from hornblende (hbl)-gabbroic sources either during crystallization–differentiation or partial melting. Two compositions were investigated: (1) MSH–Yn−1 dacite (SiO 2 : 65 wt%) from Mount St. Helens’ voluminous Yn tephra and (2) MSH–Yn−1 + 10% cpx to force saturation with cpx and map a portion of the cpx + melt = hbl peritectic reaction boundary. H 2 O-undersaturated (3, 6, and 9 wt% H 2 O) piston cylinder experiments were conducted at pressures, temperatures, and fO 2 appropriate for the middle to lower arc crust (400, 700, and 900 MPa, 825–1100 °C, and the Re–ReO 2 buffer ≈ Ni–NiO + 2). Results for MSH–Yn−1 indicate near-liquidus equilibrium with a cpx-free hbl-gabbro residue (hbl, plg, magnetite, ± opx, and ilmeno-hematite) with 6–7 wt% dissolved H 2 O, 925 °C, and 700–900 MPa. Opx disappears down-temperature consistent with the reaction opx + melt = hbl. Cpx-added phase relations are similar in that once ~10% cpx crystallizes, multiple saturation is attained with cpx, hbl, and plg, +/− opx, at 6–7 wt% dissolved H 2 O, 940 °C, and 700–900 MPa. Plg–hbl–cpx saturated liquids diverge from plg–hbl–opx saturated liquids, consistent with the MSH–Yn−1 dacite marking a liquid composition along a peritectic distributary reaction boundary where hbl appears down-temperature as opx + cpx are consumed. The abundance of saturating phases along this distributary peritectic (liquid + hbl + opx + cpx + plg + oxides) reduces the variance, so liquids are restricted to dacite–granodiorite–tonalite compositions. Higher-K dacites than the Yn would also saturate with biotite, further limiting their compositional diversity. Theoretical evaluation of the energetics of peritectic melting of pargasitic amphiboles indicates that melting and crystallization of amphibole occur abruptly, proximal to amphibole’s high-temperature stability limit, which causes the system to dwell thermally under the conditions that produce dacitic compositions. This process may account for the compositional homogeneity of dacites, granodiorites, and tonalites in arc settings, but their relative mobility compared to rhyolitic/granitic liquids likely accounts for their greater abundance.

Washington↗

USGS2020

Phase equilibrium of a high-SiO2, andesite at fO2 = RRO: Implications for Augustine volcano and other high-fO2 arc andesites

Understanding the impact of magmatic plumbing systems on explosive volcanic activity is important for hazard management. This study describes phase equilibria experiments using a high-silica andesite (HSA; SiO 2 = 62.5 wt%) from the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska. Experiments were conducted under H 2 O saturated conditions, f 0 2 "> f 0 2 f02 = RRO (Re–ReO 2 or ~ Ni–NiO + 2), at pressures of 50–200 MPa ( P Total = P H2O ), and at temperatures of 800–1060 ° C. Run durations varied from 23 to 539 h, inversely scaled with temperature. The natural Augustine HSA phase assemblage (plagioclase, two pyroxenes, Fe–Ti oxides, magnesio-hornblende) was reproduced at 860–880 ° C and 120–200 MPa. Comparing experimental and natural glass and plagioclase compositions further refined those conditions to ~ 870 °C and 120–170 MPa. Crystallization of euhedral quartz was accompanied by biotite and small amounts of cummingtonite at T ≤ 850 °C. The relatively high temperature appearance of these typically low- T phases indicates that higher f 0 2 "> f 0 2 f02 could enhance their stability. The storage conditions estimated from our experiments compare well with previous magma plumbing system models for Augustine from geophysical and petrological data. The refined experimental pressure range suggests a storage depth of 4.6–6.6 km, assuming a crustal density of 2650 kg/m 3 . The strong petrological and geochemical similarities between the products of the 2006, 1986, and 1976 eruptions suggest that the Augustine magmatic system had generally consistent crystallization conditions for the HSA lithology during that > 30-year time interval. The experimental results broad implications for understanding higher f 0 2 "> f 0 2 magmas at andesitic arc volcanoes.

Alaska↗

USGS2023

Garnet stability in arc basalt, andesite, and dacite—An experimental study

Garnet’s stability in arc magmas and its influences on their differentiation were explored experimentally in a typical basalt, andesite, and dacite at conditions of 0.9–1.67 GPa, 800–1300 °C, with 2–9 wt.% added H 2 O, and with oxygen fugacity buffered near Re + O 2 = ReO 2 (~ Ni-NiO + 1.7 log 10 bars). Garnet did not grow at 0.9 GPa in any of the compositions, even with garnet seeds added to facilitate nucleation. At 1.0–1.2 GPa, garnet grew as thin rims (< 5 µm) on introduced garnet seeds coexisting with dacitic to rhyodacitic liquids at temperatures ≤ 1000 °C. At 1.3 GPa, garnet grew readily with no seeds from 900 to 1100 °C coexisting with liquids ranging from peraluminous basaltic andesite to rhyodacite, and at 1.46 GPa, garnet was stable as hot as 1150 °C in metaluminous basaltic liquid. Garnet grew as a liquidus phase only in the dacite, a composition similar to the average upper continental crust. Inverse experiments on the dacite determined a liquidus multiple-saturation point with garnet, plagioclase, orthopyroxene, calcic clinopyroxene, and amphibole at 975 °C, 1.46 GPa, with 7 wt.% dissolved H 2 O. Such dacitic and more evolved melts can be products of peritectic reactions that with decreasing temperature consume garnet, calcic clinopyroxene, and melt components, producing amphibole and less abundant but more evolved melts. For this reason, experiments on product melts need not produce reactant minerals, accounting for some disparities in published experimental results on the apparent stability of garnet in intermediate-to-evolved arc magmas. Results on more mafic compositions are more reliable guides and show that liquids of arc dacitic composition, and more evolved compositions, would coexist stably with garnet only in the deepest portions of continental-margin arc crust with average thickness and density (~ 43 km, ~ 1.2 GPa) or in the underlying shallow mantle. Metaluminous arc basaltic, basaltic andesitic, and many andesitic liquids would not coexist stably with garnet at pressures ranging from the crust to at least the midpoint of the mantle wedge, but results in the literature allow that some andesitic liquids with higher Fe/Mg than common in arcs may also saturate with garnet in the deeper portions of average-thickness continental arc crust.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS1991

The temperature dependence of ponded infiltration under isothermal conditions

A simple temperature-sensitive modification to the Green and Ampt infiltration equation is described; this assumes that the temperature dependence of the hydraulic conductivity is reciprocally equal to the temperature dependence of the viscosity of liquid water, and that both the transmission zone saturation and the wetting front matric potential gradient are independent of temperature. This modified Green and Ampt equation is compared with ponded, isothermal infiltration experiments run on repacked columns of Olympic Sand and Aiken Loam at 5, 25, and 60°C. Experimental results showed increases in infiltration rates of at least 300% between 5 and 60°C for both soil materials, with subsequent increases in cumulative infiltration of even greater magnitudes for the loam. There is good agreement between measured and predicted initial infiltration rates at 25°C for both soil materials, yet at 60°C, the predicted results overestimate initial infiltration rates for the sand and underestimate initial rates for the loam. Measurements of the wetting depth vs. cumulative infiltration indicate that the transmission zone saturation increased with increasing temperature for both soil materials. In spite of this increased saturation with temperature, the final infiltration rates at both 25 and 60°C were predicted accurately using the modified Green and Ampt equation. This suggests that increased saturation occurred primarily in dead-end pore spaces, so that transmission zone hydraulic conductivities were unaffected by these temperature-induced changes in saturation. In conclusion, except for initial infiltration rates at 60°C, the measured influence of temperature on infiltration rates was fully accounted for by the temperature dependence of the viscosity of liquid water.

Journal of Hydrology↗

USGS1976

A note on the effect of fault gouge thickness on fault stability

At low confining pressure, sliding on saw cuts in granite is stable but at high pressure it is unstable. The pressure at which the transition takes place increases if the thickness of the crushed material between the sliding surfaces is increased. This experimental result suggests that on natural faults the stability of sliding may be affected by the width of the fault zone. ?? 1976.

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining↗

USGS1974

Bimodal tholeiitic-dacitic magmatism and the Early Precambrian crust

Interlayered plagioclase-quartz gneisses and amphibolites from 2.7 to more than 3.6 b.y. old form much of the basement underlying Precambrian greenstone belts of the world; they are especially well-developed and preserved in the Transvaal and Rhodesian cratons. We postulate that these basement rocks are largely a metamorphosed, volcanic, bimodal suite of tholeiite and high-silica low-potash dacite—compositionally similar to the 1.8-b.y.-old Twilight Gneiss — and partly intrusive equivalents injected into the lower parts of such volcanic piles. We speculate that magmatism in the Early Precambrian involved higher heat flow and more hydrous conditions than in the Phanerozoic. Specifically, we suggest that the early degassing of the Earth produced a basaltic crust and pyrolitic upper mantle that contained much amphibole, serpentine, and other hydrous minerals. Dehydration of the lower parts of a downgoing slab of such hydrous crust and upper mantle would release sufficient water to prohibit formation of andesitic liquid in the upper part of the slab. Instead, a dacitic liquid and a residuum of amphibole and other silica-poor phases would form, according to Green and Ringwood's experimental results. Higher temperatures farther down the slab would cause total melting of basalt and generation of the tholeiitic member of the suite. This type of magma generation and volcanism persisted until the early hydrous lithosphere was consumed. An implication of this hypothesis is that about half the present volume of the oceans formed before about 2.6 b.y. ago.

Precambrian Research↗

USGS2007

Role of chemotaxis in the transport of bacteria through saturated porous media

Populations of chemotactic bacteria are able to sense and respond to chemical gradients in their surroundings and direct their migration toward increasing concentrations of chemicals that they perceive to be beneficial to their survival. It has been suggested that this phenomenon may facilitate bioremediation processes by bringing bacteria into closer proximity to the chemical contaminants that they degrade. To determine the significance of chemotaxis in these processes it is necessary to quantify the magnitude of the response and compare it to other groundwater processes that affect the fate and transport of bacteria. We present a systematic approach toward quantifying the chemotactic response of bacteria in laboratory scale experiments by starting with simple, well-defined systems and gradually increasing their complexity. Swimming properties of individual cells were assessed from trajectories recorded by a tracking microscope. These properties were used to calculate motility and chemotaxis coefficients of bacterial populations in bulk aqueous media which were compared to experimental results of diffusion studies. Then effective values of motility and chemotaxis coefficients in single pores, pore networks and packed columns were analyzed. These were used to estimate the magnitude of the chemotactic response in porous media and to compare with dispersion coefficients reported in the field. This represents a compilation of many studies over a number of years. While there are certainly limitations with this approach for ultimately quantifying motility and chemotaxis in granular aquifer media, it does provide insight into what order of magnitude responses are possible and which characteristics of the bacteria and media are expected to be important.

Advances in Water Resources↗