Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society
Résumé : Gem opals from Wegel Tena, Wollo Province, Ethiopia, occur in Oligocene rhyolitic ignimbrites. They display a unique geochemistry, with some samples yielding the highest Ba concentrations ever recorded. They are generally much richer in chemical impurities than opals from other localities. For example, the sum Al+Fe or the sum Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba are often higher. These geochemical features make them easy to distinguish from other opals worldwide. We observed strong geochemical variations and some good positive correlations in our samples, such as Al+Fe vs. Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba, Al vs Ca, or Ba vs Ca. This shows that the crystallography of opal has controlled, at least in part, the incorporation of chemical impurities, although opal is not well-crystallized. In addition, the multimodal distributions of several chemical impurities (e.g. U vs Sr, Al vs Ca, Ba vs Ca, etc.) suggest at least two origins of silica: weathering of feldspars and weathering of volcanic glass. In addition, opals from Wegel Tena contain numerous well-preserved microscopic plant fossils. Moreover, their host rock exhibits features typical of pedogenesis (abundant clays, desiccation cracks, and grain size sorting). We propose that the opals at Wegel Tena formed during the Oligocene period when volcanic emissions stopped for a time long enough to allow weathering of ingimbrites and therefore liberation of silica. This accompanied the formation of soil and development of plant life, and some plants were trapped in opal.
ISSN: 1467-7873

hal-00767555
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00767555
DOI : 10.1144/1467-7873/10-MINDEP-058

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
The New Jersey continental shelf extends 150 km off the shoreline. During IODP Expedition 313, siliciclastic deposits of late Eocene to late Pleistocene age were drilled down to 631, 669 and 755 m below seafloor at sites 27A, 28A and 29A respectively in very shallow waters (33.5 to 36 m depth). Pore water salinities display multilayered brackish-salty-brine units 10 to 170 m thick, where low-salinity water is preferentially stored in fine-grained sediments. The sharp boundaries of these buried aquifers are often marked by cemented layers a few centimetres thick. The mineralogy and scanning electron microscope observations of these layers show two phases of cementation by authigenic minerals: (1) the early carbonate cement is frequently associated with pyrite, and (2) the late silicate cement infills the residual porosity. The isotopic compositions of the carbonate cements vary widely: −2.4 < δ¹⁸O ‰ VPDB < +2.8; −15.1 < δ¹³C ‰ VPDB < +15.6. The δ¹⁸O values indicate that the carbonate cements precipitated with pore waters comprising variable mixtures of seawater and ¹⁸O-depleted fresh water originating from submarine groundwater discharge. The δ¹³C values of the carbonate cements are related to organic matter diagenesis, providing ¹³C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon during bacterial sulphate reduction and anaerobic oxidation of methane, and ¹³C-rich dissolved inorganic carbon during methanogenesis. The diagenetic cementation processes included chemical weathering of reactive silicate minerals by the CO²-rich pore waters issued from organic matter diagenesis that released bicarbonate, cations and dissolved silica, which were further precipitated as carbonate and silicate cements. The estimated range of temperature (18±4 °C) during carbonate precipitation is consistent with carbonate cementation at moderate burial depths; however, silicate cementation occurred later during diagenesis at deeper burial depths.
ISSN: 0276-0460

hal-01559985
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01559985
DOI : 10.1007/s00367-017-0506-6

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The interplay between fault zone cataclasis and cementation is important since both processes can drastically reduce the permeability of faults in porous sandstones. Yet the prediction of fault cementation in high-porosity sandstone reservoirs remains elusive. Nevertheless, this process has rarely been investigated in shallowly buried faults (<2 km; T°<80 °C) where its sealing capacity could be acquired early in the geological history of a reservoir. In this paper, the macro- and microscopic analysis of a fault zone in the porous Cenomanian quartz arenite sands of Provence (France) shows that silica diagenesis occurs in the most intensely-deformed cataclastic parts of the fault zone. This fault zone shows 19–48% of its total thickness occupied by low-porosity quartz-cemented cataclastic shear bands whose porosities range from 0 – ca. 5%. The analysis of the weathering profile around the fault zone reveals the presence of groundwater silcretes in the form of tabular, tightly silicified concretions cross-cut by the fault. Detailed transmitted light, cold-cathodoluminescence and scanning electron microscopy analyses of the silica cements (from the fault and the silcrete) reveal that all the silica cements originate from groundwater diagenetic processes. This study therefore shows that silica cementation can occur specifically in fault zones and as groundwater silcrete in the shallow context of a groundwater system, generated at the vicinity of an erosional unconformity.
ISSN: 0191-8141

hal-01278286
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01278286
DOI : 10.1016/j.jsg.2015.10.001

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : The combined use of Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotope systems potentially offers a unique perspective for investigating continental erosion, but little is known about whether, and to what extent, the Hf-Nd isotope composition of sediments is related to silicate weathering intensity. In this study, Hf and Nd elemental and isotope data are reported for marine muds, leached Fe-oxide fractions and zircon-rich turbidite sands collected off the Congo River mouth, and from other parts of the SE Atlantic Ocean. All studied samples from the Congo fan (muds, Fe-hydroxides, sands) exhibit indistinguishable Nd isotopic composition (epsilon(Nd)similar to - 16), indicating that Fe-hydroxides leached from these sediments correspond to continental oxides precipitated within the Congo basin. In marked contrast, Hf isotope compositions for the same samples exhibit significant variations. Leached Fe-hydroxide fractions are characterized by epsilon(Hf) values (from -1.1 to +13) far more radiogenic than associated sediments (from -7.1 to -12.0) and turbidite sands (from -27.2 to -31.6). epsilon(Hf) values for Congo fan sediments correlate very well with Al/K (i.e. a well-known index for the intensity of chemical weathering in Central Africa). Taken together, these results indicate that (1) silicate weathering on continents leads to erosion products having very distinctive Hf isotope signatures, and (2) a direct relationship exists between epsilon(Hf) of secondary clay minerals and chemical weathering intensity. These results combined with data from the literature have global implications for understanding the Hf-Nd isotope variability in marine precipitates and sediments. Leached Fe-hydroxides from Congo fan sediments plot remarkably well on an extension of the 'seawater array' (i.e. the correlation defined by deep-sea Fe-Mn precipitates), providing additional support to the suggestion that the ocean Hf budget is dominated by continental inputs. Fine-grained sediments define a diffuse trend, between that for igneous rocks and the,seawater array', which we refer to as the 'zircon-free sediment array' (epsilon(Hf)=0-91 epsilon(Nd)+3.10). Finally, we show that the Hf-Nd arrays for seawater, unweathered igneous rocks, zircon-free and zircon-bearing sediments (epsilon(Hf)= 1.80 epsilon(Nd)+2.35) can all be reconciled, using Monte Carlo simulations, with a simple weathering model of the continental crust. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters (0012-821X) (Elsevier), 2009 , Vol. 277 , N. 3-4 , P. 318-326

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6451.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.10.028
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6451/

Éditeur(s) : Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Résumé : The negative impact of the man on the environment unquestionably increases. The coastal environment as a whole is the maritime environment which is the most exposed to man-made eutrophication. For instance, nitrate loads to coastal waters off Brittany (France) have increased 10 times (from 3 to s 30mg L-1NO3) during the four last decades. Eutrophication of this coastal zone is now a recurrent problem, more and more worrying. This eutrophication exhibits two main forms : " green tides ", which are caused by local proliferations and stranding of green macro-algae (particularly the Ulva species) in nitrogen-enriched areas ; phytoplanktonic blooms, which are responsible for coloured water events, toxic species can be present (Pseudo-Nitzschia, Alexandrium, Dinophysis), and induce banning of shellfish consumption. The objectives of this study are to assess the respective role of various rivers (especially the Loire and the Vilaine) in the eutrophication of the Brittany shelf ecosystem and test the impact of nitrogen enrichment in the triggering of Pseudo-Nitzchia toxicity. For these purposes, a coupled hydrodynamical/ biogeochemical 3D model has been developed and validated against past measured time-series and satellite images. After a brief analysis of primary production over the Brittany shelf under different conditions, we show a description of the real time adaptation of this model. Daily results are currently presented in real time on www.previmer.org web site. The inability of the model to correctly simulate near shore phytoplankton is worsened in this model by the fact that the turbidity field used is a climatological one, made by satellite images averaged on a decadal basis. First, near shore pixels of satellite images are scarcely reliable, secondly a climatological mean cannot represent the sudden bursts or drops of the real turbidity, highly dependent on the actual sea-state : this can explain also why the model at this moment fails to reproduce a sudden bloom occurring in a short period of sunny and calm weather. The simulated Pseudo-Nitzschia biomass and induced risk of toxicity in the water column cannot really be validated offshore, because monitoring measurements are available only near the coast, and deal only with toxicity in benthic filter feeders. To get temporarily rid of that problem, an interesting improvement would be to add to the operational model the bio-accumulation of toxin in the shellfishes : simulated concentrations in shellfish fresh would become directly comparable with usual measurements of the monitoring networks. Our model points out the important impact of Loire river loads on the primary production on the western and southern Brittany. This result is crucial for administrations in charge of reducing the terrestrial loadings responsible for eutrophication, because it can delay reduction programs on small tributaries until the main input from the Loire has been significantly reduced. A question arises, about the reliability of the haline stratification in the model, because the horizontal extent of the Loire plume will be enhanced by a stronger stratification.
L'eutrophisation des milieux marins côtiers, de plus en plus importante, représente un des impacts majeurs des activités humaines sur l'environnement. Les phénomènes d'eutrophisation sont en constante augmentation ; ces dernières décennies ont vu le nombre de sites touchés augmenter de par le monde. La bande côtière bretonne est particulièrement concernée par ce phénomène. L'eutrophisation s'y manifeste de deux façons : "Des phénomènes de marée vertes, très localisées, qui sont provoqués par la croissance excessive et l'échouage de macro-algues du genre Ulva dans ces zones riches en azote ; Des blooms de phytoplancton à l'origine des phénomènes d'eaux colorées, qui peuvent aussi provoquer des interdictions de consommation de coquillages lorsque les espèces mises en jeu sont toxiques (Pseudo-Nitzschia, Alexandrium, Dinophysis). L'objectif de ce travail est multiple : il vise à mettre en évidence et à comprendre l'impact et le rôle des apports en nutriments sur la production primaire et l'eutrophisation des milieux côtiers. Ce travail a aussi pour ambition l'identification et la compréhension des causes des phénomènes d'eutrophisation et permettre ainsi d'apporter des solutions ou des pistes d'amélioration. En n, il a aussi un objectif de prévision à court terme de l'état biologique sur la zone. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, un modèle en temps réel a été mis en oeuvre. Les résultats de simulations numériques et de mesures satellitaires sont présentés sur internet : www.previmer.org. L'outil principal de ce travail est un modèle couplé physique/biogéochimie. La partie hydrodynamique est fournie par le code Mars3D (3D hydrodynamical Model for Application at Regional Scale) développé à IFREMER. Au code hydrodynamique Mars3D est couplé le modèle des cycles de l'azote, du phosphore et du silicium d'IFREMER. Le modèle couplé permet de simuler en 3 dimensions et de manière dynamique les courants, le brassage horizontal et vertical, les champs de température et de salinité, mais aussi les principaux cycles de nutriments, reproduisant ainsi les conditions déterminantes de la production primaire. La croissance des algues est modélisée, et nous permet de voir l'influence des panaches de dilution des principales rivières bretonnes sur leur croissance. Les diffcultés du modèle à correctement simuler les concentrations en phytoplancton près des zones côtières, sont probablement dues à l'utilisation d'une climatologie de concentration en matière en suspension fondée sur des données satellitaires. Tout d'abord, les pixels côtiers des images satellitaires sont entachés d'erreurs, ensuite une climatologie n'est pas capable de représenter les apports soudains des fleuves lors des crues. Cela peut expliquer l'incapacité du modèle a représenter certains blooms liés à des périodes ensoleilées et calmes. A ce modèle de base nous avons ajouté un genre spécifique de phytoplancton : le genre Pseudo-Nitzschia. Certaines espèces de Pseudo-Nitzschia sont réputées toxiques. En effet, ce phytoplancton a la capacité de synthétiser une toxine : l'acide domoïque. Cette toxine est responsable du syndrome ASP (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning). Le modèle reproduit globalement les mêmes zones de toxicité que les mesures du REPHY, et donne des résultats encourageants. L'étude montre que la Loire influence une large partie de la bande côtière bretonne ; son panache remonte jusqu'au nord de la mer d'Iroise, et contribue pour une grande part à l'enrichissement du sud et de l'ouest de la Bretagne. Le traçage de l'azote en provenance de la Loire au sein des cycles biogéochimiques nous a permis de quantifier cet enrichissement.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12603/9481.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12603/