Extinct Volcano Research Articles

Taxonomic review of the genus Calyptopsis of Turkey and adjacent areas (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tentyriini)

Abstract The taxonomic review of the tenebrionid genus Calyptopsis Solier, 1835 (Tenebrionidae: Tentyriini) of Turkey and Western Transcaucasia is given. Four new species and one new subspecies are described: C. capnisiformis volcanica subsp. nov. (from calderas of extinct volcanoes in Karaman and Manisa provinces), C. fouquei sp. nov. (Artvin Province), C. egecemi sp. nov. (Izmir Province), C. kaszabi sp. nov. (Bayburt Province), C. ottoi sp. nov. (Turkey: Hakkari and Van provinces; NE Iraq: Zagros Mts.). The lectotype of Calyptopsis lineimargo Reitter, 1897 is designated. The key and images for the Turkish and Western Transcaucasian species are given. In total, eleven species and one subspecies are known from Turkey, of which eight taxa are endemic for Anatolia.

Walter Map and the Matter of Britain. Joshua Byron Smith. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017. Pp. xii+254.

<i>Walter Map and the Matter of Britain</i>. Joshua Byron Smith. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017. Pp. xii+254.

Microbial diversity of a closed salt lagoon in the Puertecitos area, Upper Gulf of California

Located 20 km south of Puertecitos on the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, is a salt-crusted lagoon with a surface area of approximately 265,000 m2 that is isolated from the adjacent Upper Gulf of California by a 50-m wide berm. The berm rises 2 m above mean sea level extending for 530 m across the lagoon’s seaward front to bar replenishment by normal seawater except possibly by seepage. On another side of the lagoon an extinct Pliocene volcano, Volcán Prieto, marks an equally abrupt boundary delineated by basalt flows. The lagoon’s well-constrained physical geography represents a high-salinity environment under conditions of extreme aridity, flooded only during rare events associated with subtropical storms. The Volcán Prieto Lagoon (so named herein) formed through distinct stages in developmental geomorphology outlined in this study. A duplicate set of sediment cores (17 cm in length) were retrieved from the lagoon and sampled for biological associations that record high-diversity colonization and stratification of microbial mats dominated by bacteria. Small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of different horizons revealed at least 25 major named bacterial phyla and 8 major named archaeal phyla as well as several unnamed candidate taxa from miscellaneous groups. Lipid biomarker analyses of the same horizons revealed that cyanobacteria contributed significantly to biomass production only at shallow depth, whereas the lipids of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria persisted to a depth of 15 cm, although with decreasing contents. The lipid patterns also showed that sulfate-reducing bacteria became more abundant with depth, whereas the contents of archaeal lipids increased from 1 to 5 cm depth but remained relatively constant below. Closed lagoons on the Gulf of California are widely distributed over the length of the Baja California Peninsula, but detailed taxonomic studies regarding the diverse microbial communities that colonized these extreme habitats have only begun to shed light on complex colonization patterns.&#x0D; Key words: coastal processes, closed lagoons, Gulf of California, microbial assemblages, lipid biomarkers.

Effects of the Karacadag Volcanic Complex on the thermal structure and geothermal potential of southeast Anatolia

The Karacadag Volcanic Complex (KVC) is the largest volcanic unit in SE Turkey. It is also defined as a shield volcano on the northernmost part of the Arabian Plate. The main goal of this study is to investigate the geothermal potential of this region associated with the magnetic signature of this volcanic complex and surrounding area. Besides this primary objective, the possibility of there being volcanic intrusion into the buried fault zones under the volcanic cover are also investigated to determine the interrelations between the active tectonics and heat flow in the area. A spectral analysis method is applied to the magnetic anomalies of the volcanic rocks to identify the Curie point depth (CPD) and geothermal gradient, as well as to estimate heat flow and radiogenic heat production of radioactive minerals in the complex. A tilt angle map is also presented, in correlation with instrumentally recorded earthquake magnitudes, to indicate tectonic trends that are consistent with the maps of the thermal parameters in this study. In contrast with expectations for the KVC area, the region around Akcakale and Suruc Grabens is the most prolific zone for geothermal potential, despite them not showing strong magnetic anomalies. Curie point depths are shallow, down to 18 km, around the Akcakale Graben, and deeper, down to 22 km, around the Bitlis-Zagros Suture Zone where the geothermal gradients increase from 26 to 32 °C km−1 through the graben area. Heat flows in this zone are in the range from 75 to 90 mW m−2 depending on the thermal conductivity coefficient (2.3, 2.5, 2.7, and 3.0 W m−1 K−1) used. Radiogenic heat production values also indicate slightly changing spectra in the range 0.19 to 0.25 μW m−3). None of these parameters are focused around Mt. Karacadag. However, the earthquake epicenters (generally M ≤ 4) are aligned with the boundary faults of the Akcakale Graben where the CPD, geothermal gradient, and heat flow maps indicate relatively high potential. We thus suggest that this graben area would be good for future geothermal exploration. On the contrary, considering the low geothermal gradient and heat flow values, Mt. Karacadag can be accepted as being an extinct volcano, despite its apparent, high, magnetic anomalies.

On the trail of Otto Hermann Wilhelm Abich: a journey through the Italian volcanoes

In XIX century, Italy represented an essential step for scientists aimed to study its most typical and significant geological sites. The result was the publication of a great number of papers dealing with the geological features of Italy in all the European languages. Among them, the German geologist Otto Hermann Wilhelm Abich was undoubtedly one the most important researchers that worked in Italy between 1833 and 1839, and devoted his research activity on the study of active and extinct volcanoes. Abich carried out several topographical surveys, mineralogical and petrographical analyses, and published several scientific papers, describing the structure, activity and history of Etna, Vesuvius and the other volcanoes in Southern Italy. In 1840, Abich moved to Dorpat, in Estonia, becoming the most important geologist of that region. Nevertheless, he never forgot the time spent in Italy that he visited again in 1856-57. This latter period pushed him to process the new collected data and those saved from the fire that destroyed his St. Petersburg office in 1863. The analysis of papers, private correspondence, and some original watercolours found in the Archive of the Geological Survey of Italy - ISPRA, has emphasized his admiration for Italian geological features and landscapes.

Ticks collected from reptile species on Small Nemrut

This study aims to identify the ticks living on reptiles of Small Nemrut Mountain as ectoparasites. Field work was carried out between May and November 2016. The mountain which attracts a lot of visitors is an extinct volcano. There are settlements close to the mountain. Furthermore, the area is the upland for the local fauna. 12 reptile species live on the mountain. In the scans on reptiles living in the area, the Hyalomma aegyptium type tick is identified on Testudo graeca (Common Tortoise) and Darevskia valentini (Valentin’s Lizard) species. The infestation rate was found to be 66.66% on tortoises and 28.57% on lizards. In the resources, it was reported that Borellia turcica, Theileria spp, Borellia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which are microorganisms with high pathogenicity in humans and animals, are isolated from H. aegyptium collected from tortoises. In addition, it was reported in various studies that Hyalomma aegyptium is a reservoir host for Hemoliva mauritanica which is a blood parasite that has been identified to intensively cause diseases in tortoises..

Samuel Hibbert in Edinburgh; early studies on loess deposits- connecting Leonhard and Lyell

Samuel Hibbert (1782–1848) published his book ‘History of the Extinct Volcanos of the Basin of Neuwied, on the Lower Rhine’ in 1832. This book contained some of the first references to loess deposits in the geological literature. It also contained a detailed geological map of the region around the Laacher See which showed the distribution of the loess. Hibbert had some influence on Charles Lyell and was acknowledged in the brief loess section when volume 3 of the Principles of Geology was published in 1833. Loess was effectively announced in 1824 by Karl Caesar von Leonhard in Heidelberg, and made well known by Lyell in 1833. Between 1824 and 1833 Hibbert produced some of the first studies in English. He was a student at Edinburgh University at the same time as Ami Boue (c.1815–1818) and he was much influenced by Boue, on basins, on large floods, and on the nature of loess. He deserves to be recognised as a significant loess pioneer; he was included in the list of loessic savants produced by Lyell in 1833: Leonhard, Bronn, Boue, Voltz, Steininger, Merian, Rozet, Hibbert. He eventually had an unfortunate relationship with Lyell (and other geologists) and the loessic link was soon severed. The 1832 book was his only loessic contribution to geo-scholarship.

Geomorphologic map of the 1st Mutnaya River, Southeastern Kamchatka, Russia

The Kamchatka Peninsula–situated in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”–has 29 active and over 400 extinct volcanoes. Since it is situated in the northeastern extremity of Russia, in subarctic climate, the volcanic landforms are overprinted by the 446 glaciers. This research focuses on the 1stMutnaya catchment which drains the southern slopes of two active volcanoes: Avachinsky and Koryaksky. Those volcanoes are a permanent threat for the cities of Petropavlovsk and Elizovo, which are the 2 of 3 cities of the peninsula. Hence, most of the studies carried out in the area dealt with the natural hazards and only few focus on landscape evolution. Thus, the purpose of this study was to elaborate a cartographic approach which integrates classic geomorphology with state of the art GIS and remote sensing techniques. As result, different landforms and related processes have been analysed and included in the first general geomorphologic map of the 1stMutnaya catchment.

Nocardia tengchongensis sp. nov., isolated from a soil sample.

The taxonomic status was determined of two actinomycetes, designated CFH S0057T and CFH S0065, that were isolated from soil samples collected from an extinct volcano in Tengchong county, Yunnan province, south-west China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains CFH S0057T and CFH S0065 belong to the genus Nocardia and formed a single clade within this genus. The two isolates were able to grow at 4-45°C, pH 5.0-7.0 and with a NaCl tolerance up to 5.0% (w/v). The whole-cell hydrolysates were rich in meso-diaminopimelic acid, galactose, arabinose and fructose. Mycolic acids were present. Strains CFH S0057T and CFH S0065 exhibited a menaquinone system with MK-8 (H4, ω cyclo), and the major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and one unidentified phospholipid. Major fatty acids were C16:0, Summed features 3, C18:1 ω9c and C18:0 10-methyl (TBSA). The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains CFH S0057T and CFH S0065 were 65.7 and 66.1mol%, respectively. The combined genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic results indicated the isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Nocardia, for which the name Nocardia tengchongensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CFH S0057T (=KCTC 29485T=JCM 30083T).

Vivid molecular divergence over volcanic remnants: the phylogeography of Megadromus guerinii on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

ABSTRACTMegadromus guerinii, an endemic carabid beetle (Carabidae), is the most common carabid throughout its restricted range on Banks Peninsula, a formation of extinct volcanoes in Canterbury, New Zealand. This study characterises the small-scale phylogeographic patterns of M. guerinii across the formerly volcanically active Banks Peninsula using mitochondrial and ribosomal genes. Between the eastern and western areas of the peninsula, the mitochondrial, but not nuclear, DNA has a well-defined geographic distribution. Specifically, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO1) identifies two distinct groups (> 6% divergence between eastern and western beetles) while ribosomal genes show no discernible pattern. Whether such a pattern represents male-biased dispersal, Wolbachia infection, a recent range expansion of a divergent lineage, or a deeper historic separation is explored. There is potential that male-biased dispersal could have occurred. Wolbachia infection was not detected. We conclude that historical processes have likely separated taxa in the eastern and western peninsula.

14 C Ages of the Last Eruptive Stage of Faial Island Caldeira Volcano

Faial is one of the nine islands that form the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic, characterized by a complex geodynamic setting dominated by the triple point where the North American, Eurasian, and African lithospheric plates meet. Faial Island comprises two central volcanoes and two basaltic fissure systems. The oldest central volcano is the Ribeirinha Volcano, on the northeast sector of the island. It is an extinct volcano, extensively dissected by the regional distensive faults of the Pedro Miguel Graben. The volcano has an age spanning from more than 850 ka BP to about 340 ka BP. The central portion of the island is formed by the Caldeira Volcano, a central volcano that has been active since before 440 ka BP. The ages of the basaltic fissure systems are less well constrained. The Horta Platform Fissure System, on the southeast sector of the island, has been active since more then 11 ka BP and its most recent activity is older than 6 ka BP. The Capelo Peninsula Fissure System, forming the west portion of the island, is a geomorphologically young region. This system has been active until the present and produced two historical eruptions, one in AD 1672–1673 and another in AD 1957–1958. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rc.57.17957

Geoturystyka – nowe możliwości wykorzystania dziedzictwa ziemi w turystyce. Studium przypadku Krainy Wygasłych Wulkanów W Sudetach Zachodnich

Wzrost zainteresowania mozliwościami wykorzystania dziedzictwa Ziemi na potrzeby rozwoju turystyki sklania do rozwazan, czy geoturystyka jest nową formą turystyki, czy tylko nowym terminem określającym turystyke uprawianą juz dawniej, związaną z odwiedzaniem miejsc interesujących pod wzgledem geologicznym. Studium przypadku Krainy Wygaslych Wulkanow w Sudetach Zachodnich, obszaru kreującego swoją marke i produkt turystyczny oparte na wulkanicznej przeszlości geologicznej, uzasadnia traktowanie geoturystyki jako nowej formy turystyki. Od niedawna akcentowany jest bowiem poznawczy charakter odwiedzania obiektow związanych z dziejami Ziemi i ścisle powiązania z geoedukacją. Wyroznikiem geoturystyki jest tworzenie odpowiedniej infrastruktury edukacyjnej. Początki geoturystyki na badanym obszarze siegają lat 90. XX w., ale jej rozwoj przypada na ostatnią dekade i jest związany glownie z dzialaniami oddolnymi, inicjowanymi przez liderow spoleczności lokalnych.

Overlooked Geomorphological Component of Volcanic Geoheritage—Diversity and Perspectives for Tourism Industry, Pogórze Kaczawskie Region, SW Poland

In the West Sudetes (SW Poland), volcanic activity of Oligocene and Miocene age has left a suite of landforms of considerable geomorphological interest. Besides being relevant to the subject of volcanology, they illustrate how volcanism influences interplays with landscape development in the long-term. Three main geomorphological themes are explored: structural geomorphology of ancient volcanic terrain, volcanic remnants as markers of long-term denudation and hillslope evolution under periglacial conditions of the Pleistocene. Volcanic geosites are used as a resource for geotourism and promotion of geoheritage has intensified recently, with the region branding itself as the ‘Land of Extinct Volcanoes’. Ten localities are evaluated as geomorphosites of significant educational potential, taking into account geomorphological values, added values as well as physical accessibility and information supply. Successful interpretation remains a key challenge in further geotourism development, and several associated practical issues are pointed out such as choice of terminology, uncertainties in scientific understanding and stand-alone attractiveness of geoheritage.

A philosophical pursuit: Natural models and the practical arts in establishing the structure of the earth

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries antiquarians, geologists and savants debated whether the summits of particular Highland mountains were the vestiges of iron-age forts or evidence of extinct volcanoes. A blend of antiquarian-historical methodology deeply affected the geological narratives that British savants and gentlemen of science developed during this period. The histories of architecture, and the fine and practical arts regularly functioned as proxies for visualizing the history, structure and operations of the earth. The case of vitrified forts discovered in Scotland highlights how the theoretical and practical arts directly informed geological theory to create what George Bellas Greenough (1778–1855) claimed was a ‘philosophical pursuit’. Focusing on the contributions of John MacCulloch (1773–1835) over the ambiguous identification of vitrified ruins, this paper shows how geological history was entwined with broad cultural interests in the progress of society and its rise from Nature. First, the essay examines the meaning and role of ‘imitation’ and ‘copying’ in art and architecture. Second, it applies these concepts within the framework of the vitrified-ruin debate that antiquarians and geologists engaged. Third, it demonstrates how the ‘imitation’ of Nature in the practical arts was a useful tool for making claims about earth structure.

With a little help from friends: Pierre-Louis-Antoine Cordier (1777–1861): 50 years of experimental work on basalt

Experimentation was more prevalent and more influential in the early days of geology than has generally been recognized. While historical narratives often associate very few names with geoscientific insights or advances, these advances are often the result of general movement within the whole fabric of geology and mineralogy. This applies to the question of basalt origin, which was more complex that it appears superficially. Ancient basalts from extinct volcanoes with no observed centers were often altered on the surface, and differed from more recent flows. The tools of microscopy and the blowpipe were used with increasing advantage by inquirers from Boccone to Cordier. Combining the methods of his predecessors and contemporaries, Cordier was able to demonstrate convincingly that similar rocks were due to similar causes whatever their ages. A more complete history results from looking at the “hero” in the broader spectrum of the resources available to him.

Caldera faults capture and deflect inclined sheets: an alternative mechanism of ring dike formation

The subsurface structures of caldera ring faults are often inferred from numerical and analog models as well as from geophysical studies. All of these inferred structures need to be compared with actual ring faults so as to test the model implications. Here, we present field evidence of magma channeling into a caldera ring fault as exhibited at Hafnarfjall, a deeply eroded and well-exposed 5-Ma extinct volcano in western Iceland. At the time of collapse caldera formation, over 200 m of vertical displacement was accommodated along a ring fault, which is exceptionally well exposed at a depth of approximately 1.2 km below the original surface of the volcano. There are abrupt changes in the ring fault attitude with depth, but its overall dip is steeply inward. Several inclined sheets within the caldera became arrested at the ring fault; other sheets became deflected up along the fault to form a multiple ring dike. We present numerical models showing stress fields that encourage sheet deflection into the subvertical ring fault. Our findings provide an alternative mechanical explanation for magma channeling along caldera ring faults, which is a process likely to be fundamental in controlling the location of post-caldera volcanism.

Fracture permeability and water–rock interaction in a shallow volcanic groundwater reservoir and the concern of its interaction with the deep geothermal reservoir of Mt. Amiata, Italy

The study of core samples and in-hole data of a 545m deep well drilled in Mt. Amiata extinct volcano allowed a better characterization of the shallow volcanic reservoir, which is exploited for domestic utilization. The new discovery is that: 1) the water table level is at a depth of 302m b.g.l. (783ma.s.l.), in agreement with recent magnetotelluric surveys, and in disagreement with previous hydrogeological models; 2) there is no evidence of present or past interaction with geothermal fluids, the alteration minerals being present only in fractures within the volcanic rocks and indicating fluids of low temperature and relatively low pH due to gas inlets in the volcanic reservoir; and 3) the volcanic reservoir is characterized by fracture permeability, as shown by the fracture system along the well. On the base of these new data the previous geological and hydrogeological models of Mt. Amiata should be revised. In particular, the hypothesis of a catastrophic lowering of the water table in a short time span is unlikely.

Mount Woolnough: the submerged volcano, SE of Sydney, NSW

Part of a larger investigation of the sea bed off Sydney was a study of the extinct submarine volcano Mount Woolnough. It is located approximately 41 km east of Kurnell, NSW, and protrudes 175 m above the sediment cover at depths of approximately −550 to −375 m. Volcanic rock, approximately 2.2 km in diameter, is exposed above the sediment sea floor and is much smaller than its magnetic expression (approximately 13 km in diameter). Samples dredged from Mount Woolnough were conglomerates with phosphatic nodules and volcanic fragments set in a fine foraminiferal sediment matrix. Zircons within the mafic fragments yielded a minimum age of 261 Ma.

A New Species ofLiophryne(Anura: Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract I describe a new species of Liophryne from Cape Nelson, southeastern New Guinea, that is unique in its combination of rather large size, a single-note call emitted from an underground burrow, and absence of vocal slits. This species also has a variety of morphometric and color-pattern features that distinguish it from one or more congeners. The new species is among the more-variable species of Liophryne in dorsal color pattern, being either brown, ochre, or a combination of the two. It is known currently only from the upper elevations of an extinct volcano and may be restricted in distribution to the broader volcanic massif that includes the type locality, inasmuch as this massif appears to have evolved in situ.

Ancient diversification of Hyposmocoma moths in Hawaii

Island biogeography is fundamental to understanding colonization, speciation and extinction. Remote volcanic archipelagoes represent ideal natural laboratories to study biogeography because they offer a discrete temporal and spatial context for colonization and speciation. The moth genus Hyposmocoma is one of very few lineages that diversified across the entire Hawaiian Archipelago, giving rise to over 400 species, including many restricted to the remote northwestern atolls and pinnacles, remnants of extinct volcanoes. Here, we report that Hyposmocoma is ~15 million years old, in contrast with previous studies of the Hawaiian biota, which have suggested that most lineages colonized the archipelago after the emergence of the current high islands (~5 Myr ago). We show that Hyposmocoma has dispersed from the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the current high islands more than 20 times. The ecological requirements of extant groups of Hyposmocoma provide insights into vanished ecosystems on islands that have long since eroded.