Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Carbon is transported from Earth's surface into its interior at subduction zones. Carbonates in sediments overlying hydrothermally altered rocks (including serpentinites) within the subducted slab are the main carriers of this carbon1. Part of the carbon is recycled back to the surface by volcanism, but some is transferred to the deep Earth1, 2. Redox transformations during shallow subduction control the transfer and long-term fate of carbon, but are poorly explored1, 3. Here we use carbon stable isotopes and Raman spectroscopy to analyse the reduction of carbonate in an exhumed serpentinite-sediment contact in Alpine Corsica, France. We find that highly crystalline graphite was formed during subduction metamorphism and was concentrated in the sediment, within a reaction zone in direct contact with the serpentinite. The graphite in this reaction zone has a carbon isotopic signature (δ13C) of up to 0.8±0.1‰, similar to that of the original calcite that composed the sediments, and is texturally associated with the calcium-bearing mineral wollastonite that is also formed in the process. We use mass-balance calculations to show that about 9% of the total carbonaceous matter in the sedimentary unit results from complete calcite reduction in the reaction zone. We conclude that graphite formation, under reducing and low-temperature conditions, provides a mechanism to retain carbon in a subducting slab, aiding transport of carbon into the deeper Earth.
ISSN: 1752-0894

hal-00903464
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00903464
DOI : 10.1038/NGEO1827

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
A detailed rock-magnetic and archeointensity study was carried out on materials baked by a western Mexican artisan following traditional techniques to produce faithful reproductions of archeological pieces of the Michoacan region (Western Mesoamerica). The field strength at the site (41.0 +/- 0.51 mu T) was measured with a fluxgate magnetometer and the temperature of the furnace during the baking process was monitored continually by means of a thermocouple placed in the middle of the baking cavity.;Rock-magnetic experiments performed on the raw material (clay and paste) and on in situ prepared baked ceramics and bricks included measurement of thermomagnetic curves (susceptibility and strong-field magnetization versus temperature), first-order reversal curves (FORC), anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anisotropy of thermoremanent magnetization (A-TRM). Magnetite and probably hematite are present in the samples as carriers of the remanence. Hysteresis ratios suggest that the samples fall in the pseudo-single-domain grain size region, which may indicate a mixture of multidomain and a significant amount of single-domain grains.;Ceramic pieces and brick fragments were subjected to the Thellier-Coe archeointensity method and to an alternative paleointensity experiment, with a TRIAXE magnetometer, in order to check whether they are faithful recorders of the local geomagnetic field strength.;Mean raw-intensity of sample M1 (pottery) overestimates a 7% the expected site intensity, while those corresponding to the brick samples (LQ1 and LQ2) underestimate it 15%. Brick sample LNQ shows a slightly lower intensity (7%), but agrees with the expected site intensity within the experimental uncertainty. The intensity retrieved from the volcanic fragment also included closely reproduces the expected intensity. After A-TRM and cooling-rate corrections, all mean raw values move closer to the expected intensity.;Measurement of temperatures at different parts inside the kiln (bottom and upper parts of both central and peripheral parts) revealed the existence of significant thermal gradients, similar to those observed in ovens from other localities. Different cooling rates are then expected in a single oven.;The scatter in the intensity determinations observed in this study, retrieved from pieces elaborated together in the same oven, could arise from this differentiated cooling rate within the oven and thus, to an inappropriate cooling rate correction in the archeointensity protocol. As this situation was probably reproduced in the baking of ancient ceramic artifacts, a better knowledge of the temperature distribution inside these types of kiln would be desirable in order to choose the appropriate cooling rate correction.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00644559
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644559
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2011.06.007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Tethyan ophiolites show an apparent poorly organized association of ultramafic andmafic rocks. By contrast tothe complete mantle-crustal sections of Semail-type ophiolite sheets, Tethyan ophiolites are characterized by asmaller amount of mafic rocks (gabbros and basalts), by the absence of any sheeted dyke complex and by thefrequent occurrence of oceanic sediments stratigraphically overlying mantle-derived peridotites and associatedgabbroic intrusions. Therefore, they are considered as typical remnants of oceanic lithosphere formed in slowspreadingenvironment or in ocean–continent transition at distal passive margins. In the very first models offormation of the Tethyan ophiolites, in the years 1980, the geodynamical processes leading to mantle unroofingwere poorly understood due to the paucity of data and concepts available at that time from the present-dayoceans. In particular, at that time, little work had focused on the distribution, origin and significance ofmafic rocks with respect to the dominant surrounding ultramafics. Here, we reconsider the geology of sometypical metaophiolites from the Western Alps and Corsica, and we show how results from the past decadeobtained in the current oceans ask for reassessing the significance of the Tethyan ophiolites in general. Revisitedexamples include a set of representative metaophiolites from the blueschists units of the Western Alps (Queyrasregion) and from Alpine Corsica (Golo Valley). Field relationships between the ophiolitic basement andthe metasedimentary/metavolcanic oceanic cover are described, outlining a typical character of the Tethyanophiolite lithological associations. Jurassic marbles and polymictic ophiolite metabreccias are unconformablyoverlying the mantle-gabbo basement, in a way strictly similar to what is observed in the non-metamorphicAppennine ophiolites or Chenaillet massif. This confirms that very early tectonic juxtaposition of ultramafic andmafic rocks occurred in the oceanic domain before subduction. This juxtaposition resulted from tectonic activitythat is now assigned to the development of detachment faults and to the formation of Oceanic Core Complexes(OCCs) at the axis of slow spreading ridges. This fundamental Plate Tectonics process is responsible for the exhumationand for the axial denudation of mantle rocks and gabbros at diverging plate boundaries. In addition, fieldrelationships between the discontinuous basaltic formations and the ultramafic–mafic basement indicate that thistectonic stage is followed or not by a volcanic stage.We discuss this issue in the light of available field constraints.
ISSN: 0012-8252

insu-01096467
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01096467
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01096467/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01096467/file/Lagabrielle-EarthSciRev-2014.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.11.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Rh (Rhesus) is a major blood group system in man, which is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. Rh antigens are carried by an oligomer of two major erythroid specific polypeptides, the Rh (D and CcEe) proteins and the RhAG glycoprotein, that shared a common predicted structure with 12 transmembrane a-helices (M0 to M11). Non erythroid homologues of these proteins have been identified (RhBG and RhCG), notably in diverse organs specialized in ammonia production and excretion, such as kidney, liver and intestine. Phylogenetic studies and experimental evidence have shown that these proteins belong to the Amt/Mep/Rh protein superfamily of ammonium/methylammonium permease, but another view suggests that Rh proteins might function as CO2 gas channels. Until recently no information on the structure of these proteins were available. However, in the last two years, new insight has been gained into the structural features of Rh proteins (through the determination of the crystal structures of bacterial AmtB and archeaebacterial Amt-1. Here, models of the subunit and oligomeric architecture of human Rh proteins are proposed, based on a refined alignment with and crystal structure of the bacterial ammonia transporter AmtB, a member of the Amt/ Mep/Rh superfamily. This alignment was performed considering invariant structural features, which were revealed through Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis, and led to propose alternative predictions for the less conserved regions, particularly in the N-terminal sequences. The Rh models, on which an additional Rh-specific, N-terminal helix M0 was tentatively positioned, were further assessed through the consideration of biochemical and immunochemical data, as well as of stereochemical and topological constraints. These models highlighted some Rh specific features that have not yet been reported. Among these, are the prediction of some critical residues, which may play a role in the channel function, but also in the stability of the subunit structure and oligomeric assembly. These results provide a basis to further understand the structure/function relationships of Rh proteins, and the alterations occurring in variant phenotypes.
ISSN: 1246-7820

hal-00068842
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00068842

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Wasilewski et al. (1979) concluded that no magnetic remanence existed in the uppermost mantle and that even if present, such sources would be at temperatures too high to contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies (LWMA). However, new collections of unaltered mantle xenoliths indicate that the uppermost mantle could contain ferromagnetic minerals. 1. The analysis of some LWMA over cratons and forearcs suggest magnetic sources in the uppermost mantle. 2. The most common ferromagnetic phase in the uppermost mantle is stoichiometric magnetite. Assuming a 30 km-thick crust, and crustal and mantle geotherms of 15 °C/km and 5 °C/km, respectively, the 600 °C Curie temperature implies a 30 km-thick layer of mantle. 3. The uppermost mantle is cooler than 600 °C in Archean and Proterozoic shields (> 350 °C), subduction zones (> 300 °C) and old oceanic basins (> 250 °C). 4. Recently investigated sets of unaltered mantle xenoliths contain pure magnetite inclusions in olivine and pyroxene formed in equilibrium with the host silicate. 5. The ascent of mantle xenoliths occurs in less than a day. Diffusion rates in olivine suggest that the growth of magnetite possible within this time frame cannot account for the size and distribution of magnetite particles in our samples. 6. Demagnetization of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) of unaltered mantle xenoliths unambiguously indicates only a single component acquired upon cooling at the Earth's surface. This is most easily explained as a thermoremanent magnetization acquired by pre-existing ferromagnetic minerals as xenoliths cool rapidly at the Earth's surface from magmatic temperatures, acquired during ascent. 7. Modern experimental data suggest that the wüstite-magnetite oxygen buffer and the fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer extend several tens of km within the uppermost mantle. 8. The magnetic properties of mantle xenoliths vary consistently across tectonic settings. In conclusion, the model of a uniformly non-magnetic mantle should be revisited. Keywords
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01053923
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053923
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2014.01.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Physiological Society
Résumé : International audience
Zidi-Yahiaoui N, Callebaut I, Genetet S, Le Van Kim C, Cartron JP, Colin Y, Ripoche P, Mouro-Chanteloup I. Functional analysis of human RhCG: comparison with E. coli ammonium transporter reveals similarities in the pore and differences in the vestibule. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 297: C537–C547, 2009. First published June 24, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00137.2009.—Rh glycoproteins are members of the ammonium transporter (Amt)/methylamine permease (Mep)/Rh family facilitating movement of NH3 across plasma membranes. Homology models constructed on the basis of the experimental structures of Escherichia coli AmtB and Nitrosomonas europaea Rh50 indicated a channel structure for human RhA (RhAG), RhB (RhBG), and RhC (RhCG) glycoproteins in which external and internal vestibules are linked by a pore containing two strictly conserved histidines. The pore entry is constricted by two highly conserved phenylalanines, “twin-Phe.” In this study, RhCG function was investigated by stopped-flow spectrofluorometry measuring kinetic pH variations in HEK293E cells in the presence of an ammonium gradient. The apparent unitary NH3 permeability of RhCG was determined and was found to be close to that of AmtB. With a site-directed mutagenesis approach, critical residues involved in Rh NH3 channel activity were highlighted. In the external vestibule, the importance of both the charge and the conformation of the conserved aspartic acid was shown. In contrast to AmtB, individual mutations of each phenylalanine of the twin-Phe impaired the function while the removal of both resulted in recovery of the transport activity. The impact of the mutations suggests that, although having a common function and a similar channel structure, bacterial AmtB and human Rh vary in several aspects of the NH3 transport mechanisms.
ISSN: 0363-6143

hal-00417492
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00417492
DOI : 10.1152/ajpcell.00137.2009.

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Rh (Rhesus) is a major blood group system in man, which is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. Rh antigens are carried by an oligomer of two major erythroid specific polypeptides, the Rh (D and CcEe) proteins and the RhAG glycoprotein, that shared a common predicted structure with 12 transmembrane a-helices (M0 to M11). Non erythroid homologues of these proteins have been identified (RhBG and RhCG), notably in diverse organs specialized in ammonia production and excretion, such as kidney, liver and intestine. Phylogenetic studies and experimental evidence have shown that these proteins belong to the Amt/Mep/Rh protein superfamily of ammonium/methylammonium permease, but another view suggests that Rh proteins might function as CO2 gas channels. Until recently no information on the structure of these proteins were available. However, in the last two years, new insight has been gained into the structural features of Rh proteins (through the determination of the crystal structures of bacterial AmtB and archeaebacterial Amt-1. Here, models of the subunit and oligomeric architecture of human Rh proteins are proposed, based on a refined alignment with and crystal structure of the bacterial ammonia transporter AmtB, a member of the Amt/Mep/Rh superfamily. This alignment was performed considering invariant structural features, which were revealed through Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis, and led to propose alternative predictions for the less conserved regions, particularly in the N-terminal sequences. The Rh models, on which an additional Rh-specific, N-terminal helix M0 was tentatively positioned, were further assessed through the consideration of biochemical and immunochemical data, as well as of stereochemical and topological constraints. These models highlighted some Rh specific features that have not yet been reported. Among these, are the prediction of some critical residues, which may play a role in the channel function, but also in the stability of the subunit structure and oligomeric assembly. These results provide a basis to further understand the structure/function relationships of Rh proteins, and the alterations occurring in variant phenotypes.
ISSN: 1246-7820

hal-00112914
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00112914
DOI : 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.02.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
IODP Expedition 324 cored igneous rocks from Shatsky Rise, an oceanic plateau in the northwest Pacific Ocean that formed mainly during late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous times. We selected 60 samples from 3 different holes for Thellier-Thellier palaeointensity determinations. Induced and remanent magnetization curves measured at low- and high-temperature suggest a diverse and complex magnetic mineralogy, with large variations in Ti content and oxidation state. Hysteresis and FORC measurements show that most samples contain singledomain magnetic grains. After carrying out the palaeointensity determinations, only 9 samples satisfied all reliability criteria. These gave palaeointensity values between 16.5 and 21.5 μT, which correspond to average VDM values of (4.9 ± 0.2) × 1022 Am2 for an estimated age of 140-142 Ma. This value is lower than that for the recent field, which agrees with the hypothesis of a Mesozoic Dipole Low.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00795491
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795491
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs100

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Alpine Corsica consists of a stack of variably metamorphosed units of continental and Tethys-derived rocks. It represents an excellent example of high-pressure (HP) orogenic belt, such as the Western Alps, exposed over a small and accessible area. Compared to the Western Alps, the geology of Alpine Corsica is poorly unraveled. During the 1970s-80s, based on either lithostratigraphic or metamorphic field observations, various classifications of the belt have been proposed, but these classifications have been rarely matched together. Furthermore, through time, the internal complexity of large domains has been progressively left aside in the frame of large-scale geodynamic reconstructions. As a consequence, major open questions on the internal structure of the belt have remained unsolved. Apart from a few local studies, Alpine Corsica has not benefited of modern developments in petrology and basin research. This feature results in several uncertainties when combining lithostratigraphic and metamorphic patterns and, consequently, in the definition of an exhaustive architecture of the belt. In this paper we provide a review on the geology of Alpine Corsica, paying particular attention to the available lithostratigraphic and metamorphic classifications of the metamorphic terranes. These data are completed by a new and exhaustive metamorphic dataset obtained by means of thermometry based on Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material (RSCM). This technique provides reliable insights on the peak temperature of the metamorphic history for CM-bearing metasediments. A detailed metamorphic characterization of metasediments, which have been previously largely ignored due to retrogression or to the lack of diagnostic mineralogy, is thus obtained and fruitfully coupled with the available lithostratigraphic data. Nine main tectono-metamorphic units are defined, from subgreenschist (ca. 280-300 °C) to the lawsonite-eclogite-facies (ca. 500-550 °C) condition. These units are homogeneous in metamorphism, laterally continuous and have characteristic lithostratigraphic features. This study also suggests a direct link between the pre-orogenic extensional setting and the present-day compressional structure of Alpine Corsica, indicating that large sections of subducted lithosphere were subducted and exhumed as coherent domains. These features provide important insight on the mechanism of stacking and exhumation of HP rocks, and make Alpine Corsica a unique reference for mountain-building processes in Tethyan-type orogens.
ISSN: 0012-8252

hal-00814433
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00814433
DOI : 10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.10.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
Résumé : International audience
A detailed study of magnetic properties was carried out on ~60 samples from three holes cored during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 324, Shatsky Rise. The measurements include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hysteresis, and first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams, as well as measurements of susceptibility at high and low temperatures and variation of saturation isothermal magnetization at low temperature. SEM measurements show the presence of a complex mixture of Fe-Ti oxides with various Ti content x, which is confirmed by the measurements of susceptibility variation with temperature and low-temperature measurements. According to FORC diagrams, the magnetization is carried by single-domain to pseudosingle-domain grains.
ISSN: 1930-1014

hal-00795484
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795484
DOI : 10.2204/iodp.proc.324.201.2013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In the Schistes Lustres of Alpine Corsica (France) serpentinized mantle rocks are associated with continental basement and meta-volcanic/-seclimentary cover rocks. The relationships among these different lithologies are especially well exposed in the Monte San Petrone unit, where Alpine metamorphism reached lawsonite-eclogite conditions. The contact between serpentinites and slivers of continental basement, relatively flat-lying over several kilometers, is characterized by evidence of cataclastic deformation pre-dating Alpine High-Pressure ductile fabrics. The serpentinite/continental basement pair is stratigraphically overlain by metasediments with a typical Jurassic-Cretaceous supra-ophiolitic lithostratigraphy, with metaradiolarites passing upward to marbles and cal cschists. Noticeably, no evidence of cataclastic deformation is found in metasediments. These observations indicate that the lithostratigraphy of the Monte San Petrone unit was established during a pre-Alpine polyphase evolution, which culminated in extensive brittle deformation along a flat-lying detachment fault prior to the deposition of Jurassic sediments. We suggest that the inferred Mesozoic extensional tectonics were related to the opening of the Westem Tethys. The Mesozoic architecture of the Monte San Petrone area, which is typical of an Ocean-Continent Transition (OCT) zone, was preserved despite Alpine deformation and metamorphism, when the different lithologies (i.e. meta-ophiolites, continent-derived rocks and metasediments) underwent a common metamorphic evolution, culminating at T=490-550 degrees C and P= 2.2-2.6 GPa. Similar tectonostratigraphic associations are observed in other high-pressure terranes of Alpine Corsica, suggesting that inherited OCT-type domains may be common in Alpine-type orogens.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00617744
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617744
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2011.02.013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We report paleomagnetic results from four overlapping stratigraphic sections (55 flows) through the lava pile in Tjörnes peninsula (North Iceland). The initial aim of our study was to check the existence of intermediate directions previously interpreted as belonging to the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal (MBR), and complete this record with Thellier-Thellier paleointensity determinations and 40Ar/39Ar radioisotopic dating. The directional results corroborate the findings by Kristjánsson et al. (1988): a sequence of reversed, transitional, normal, and transitional polarity (R-T-N-T) is found in each section. The polarity change is characterized by a jump from reversed virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) to a quasi-cluster of transitional VGPs located over China, followed by a second jump to a cluster of normal polarity before moving again towards intermediate polarities. Reversely magnetized flows exhibit a magnetic mineralogy well suited for paleointensity determination. Of these 25 flows, 20 yielded paleointensity estimates of good quality. Unfortunately, the systematic presence of coarse multidomain (MD) titanomagnetite in the transitional and normal polarity flows hampered paleointensity estimates for these flows. The Virtual Dipole Moments (VDM) calculated for the reversed polarity flows vary from 4.9 to 7.0 × 1022 Am2 with an arithmetic mean value of 5.5 ± 0.8 × 1022 Am2. This value is identical to the mean VDM obtained for the 0.3-5 Ma time window and thus strengthens the conclusion that the recent geomagnetic field strength is anomalously high compared to that older than 0.3 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar isochron ages were obtained with the incremental heating technique on groundmass separates or phenocryst-poor whole rock samples. Six of the transitionally magnetized lavas yielded isochron ages that are indistinguishable from one another at the 95% confidence level. The weighted average age is 862 ± 51 ka. In the upper part of this volcanic sequence, the normally magnetized flows yielded a weighted average age of 787 ± 40 ka. This finding supports the conclusion that a geomagnetic excursion within the Matuyama chron is recorded in the lower part of the Tjörnes volcanic sequence, whereas only the latest portion of the MBR is recorded by flows in the upper part of the lava pile. This conclusion is supported via comparison of the VGPs obtained from the lavas with those predicted by a geomagnetic field model.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00618515
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00618515
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00618515/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00618515/file/Camps-epsl2011.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2011.07.026