Marked Anomalies Research Articles

Interdecadal Variation in the Impact of Arctic Sea Ice on El Niño–Southern Oscillation: The Role of Atmospheric Mean Flow

Abstract This study reveals the remarkable interdecadal changes in the influence of boreal winter Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) anomalies (ASICAs) in the Greenland–Barents Seas on the subsequent El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) development. Winter ASICA is strongly associated with the subsequent winter ENSO before the late 1980s and after the late 2000s, but their connection is weak during the 1990s and the 2000s. The interdecadal variations in the influence of ASICA on ENSO are associated with changes in the spatial structure of the ASICA-induced North Pacific atmospheric anomalies. During high-correlation periods, winter SIC increases in the Greenland–Barents Seas lead to tropospheric cooling via the suppression of upward surface heat fluxes, which further trigger an atmospheric teleconnection from the Arctic to the North Pacific. The accompanying North Pacific Oscillation–like atmospheric anomalies result in sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the subtropical North Pacific, which extends southward into the tropical Pacific via wind–evaporation–SST feedback and leads to surface westerly anomalies over the tropical western Pacific in the following summer. The tropical western Pacific westerly wind anomalies impact the subsequent ENSO development via triggering positive Bjerknes air–sea interaction. During low-correlation periods, atmospheric anomalies over the North Pacific generated by the winter ASICA are located more northward and cannot induce marked subtropical North Pacific SST anomalies and thus have a weak impact on the following ENSO development. Numerical experiments suggest that the interdecadal variation in the spatial structure of the North Pacific atmospheric anomalies induced by the winter ASICA is partly attributed to change in the atmospheric mean flow. Significance Statement Arctic sea ice is an important component of the global climate system. Studies have shown that Arctic sea ice has decreased significantly in recent decades, which is considered to be one of the most important responses of Earth’s climate system to global climate change. A number of studies have shown that Arctic sea ice anomalies have significant impacts on weather and climate over mid–high latitudes through tropospheric and stratospheric processes. Recent studies have suggested that the effects of Arctic sea ice anomalies could extend to the tropics via air–sea interactions. El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the strongest air–sea coupled system in the tropics and can have a significant impact on climate over the globe. ENSO is also considered to be one of the most important sources of subseasonal–seasonal climate predictability over many parts of the globe. It is therefore important to study the factors for the ENSO occurrence. A recent study showed that Arctic sea ice anomalies during boreal winter in the Greenland–Barents Seas have a significant impact on the following winter ENSO. In this study, we further reveal that the influence of winter Arctic sea ice anomalies in the Greenland–Barents Seas on the subsequent ENSO is unstable and has undergone significant interdecadal variation. We then investigate the mechanisms underlying the interdecadal variation via observational analysis and numerical simulations. The results of this study not only have implications for improving the prediction of ENSO but also could improve our understanding of the physical link between high-latitude climate systems and tropical air–sea coupling systems.

Observing the SO2 and Sulfate Aerosol Plumes From the 2022 Hunga Eruption With the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)

AbstractThe Hunga volcano violently erupted on 15 January 2022, producing the largest perturbation of the stratospheric aerosol layer since Pinatubo 1991, despite the initially estimated modest injection of SO2. This study presents novel SO2 and sulfate aerosol (SA) co‐retrievals from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer, and uses them to quantify the initial progression of the Hunga plume. These observations are consistent with rapid conversion of SO2 (e‐folding time: 17.1 ± 4.3 days) to SA, with an injected burden of >1.0 Tg SO2. This points at larger SO2 injections than previously thought. A long‐lasting SA plume was observed, with two separate build‐up phases, and with a meridional dispersion of marked anomalies from the tropics to the higher southern hemispheric latitudes. A limited (∼20%) SA removal was observed after 1‐year dispersion. The total injected SA mass burden was estimated at 1.6 ± 0.5 Tg in the total atmospheric column, with a build‐up e‐folding time of about 2 months.

Growth of the Central Orogenic Belt, North China Craton through accretion of different Neoarchean arc terranes: Perspective from the Linshan complex

The onset of plate tectonics and crustal growth processes in the early Earth have been controversial scientific issues in the geoscience. The North China Craton (NCC) preserves widespread 3.8–2.5 Ga rocks, providing an ideal place to understand early continent formation and evolution. The Linshan complex located in the southern segment of the Central Orogenic Belt (COB) of the NCC, is mainly composed of TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite)-diorite gneisses and metamorphic volcanic-sedimentary units dominated by gabbro, basalt, basaltic andesite and biotite-plagioclase gneiss. Detailed mapping on the scale of 1:100 of a structural transect shows that the Linshan complex has mainly experienced two major deformation events including top-to-the-SE thrust faults and late NE-trending high-angle normal faults. Detailed zircon U-Pb dating shows that gabbro, basaltic andesite, and TTG gneiss mainly formed at ca. 2.52–2.50 Ga. Gabbros and basalts display enrichment of LREE and negative Nb and Ta anomalies, and basaltic andesites display mixed MORB-IAT geochemical affinities. Basalts and basaltic andesites are members of the Nb-enriched basalt series with high absolute Nb contents (>6 ppm). TTG gneisses are geochemically divided into high-pressure and low-pressure TTGs. High-pressure TTGs are characterized by high ratios of La/Ybcn (26.29–45.73) and fall into the adakitic region in the La/Ybcn-Ybcn diagram. Considering the close contact with Nb-enriched basaltic series, it is proposed that high-pressure TTGs may have formed by partial melting of a subducting oceanic slab with garnet and amphibole and/or rutile as residues. Low-pressure TTGs are characterized by low ratios of La/Ybcn and Sr/Y with marked negative Eu anomalies, indicating partial melting at shallow crustal levels. Regional tectonic relations have defined the Neoarchean Dengfeng island arc-forearc accretionary complex to the east of the Linshan complex. Thus, we propose that the gabbros-basalts-basaltic andesites in the Linshan complex mostly formed in a Neoarchean suprasubduction back-arc basin by rifting of a TTG-dominated island arc terrane. The final closure of the back-arc basin resulted in their tectonic juxtaposition forming thrust-imbricated structures. There may have been several Neoarchean “forearc-island-arc-backarc” systems in the NCC that are similar to modern accretionary tectonic orogens, indicating that plate tectonics has been in operation since at least 2.55–2.50 Ga.

Petrogenesis of the eudialyte-bearing syenite and indication for Nb-Zr-REE mineralization in Bashisuogong, Northwest China

The Bashisuogong alkaline igneous intrusion is located between the South Tianshan Orogenic Belt and the Kepingtage foreland thrust belt at the northern margin of the Tarim Craton and hosts economically significant Nb–Ta–Zr–rare earth element mineralization. Eudialyte has recently been discovered in the syenite unit of this intrusion, which is the primary host mineral for high-field-strength and rare earth elements. Based on detailed petrographic investigations, this study investigated the behavior of trace elements during magma evolution and the enrichment of ore-forming elements using whole-rock geochemical analyses of eudialyte-bearing syenite and compositional analyses of aegirine–augite and different types of eudialyte. We also undertook in situ titanite U-Pb dating. The Bashisuogong syenite comprises aegirine–augite and aegirine–augite–eudialyte syenite, the latter of which have higher total rare earth element contents. Both types of syenite exhibit slight enrichments in light rare earth elements, significant enrichments in high-field-strength elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and Th), depletions in large-ion lithophile elements (Ba and Sr), and large negative Eu anomalies. There are two types (I and II) of eudialyte. Eudialyte I has higher Mn/Fe, Zr/Hf, and Nb/Ta ratios but lower Th/U ratios compared with eudialyte II but similar Y/Ho ratios. Eudialyte II crystallized earlier than eudialyte I, and aegirine–augite, titanite, and apatite crystallized earlier than eudialyte I. Both aegirine–augite and eudialyte have similar trace element characteristics to the host rocks, exhibiting enrichments in highly incompatible high-field-strength and rare earth elements, as well as marked negative Eu anomalies and depletions in Sr. These characteristics suggest that the Bashisuogong alkaline rocks formed by low-degree partial melting of geochemically enriched, metasomatized lithospheric mantle, which formed an alkaline basaltic parental melt that then underwent protracted magma evolution and fractionation in the shallow crust. The eudialyte syenite yield a titanite U-Pb age of 277.3 ± 1.2 Ma, which is consistent with the ages of different types of alkaline igneous rocks in the study area, indicating they were the products of the same magmatic event. Temporally and spatially, the Bashisuogong ore-bearing alkaline rocks were associated with the Tarim mantle plume, and the mantle plume provided the heat for their formation.

Geochemistry of the North Gondwana Paleozoic Araba and Naqus formation siliciclastics, Sinai: implications for provenance, paleoweathering, and tectonic setting

ABSTRACT The Araba and Naqus formations in Ras Milan, Sinai, constitute part of the major continuous Paleozoic clastic belt stretching across northern Gondwana. They are sandstone-dominated successions, resting on Precambrian granitic basement, with lowermost thin basal polymictic conglomerate deposits (1–2 m), marking the unconformity. The Araba Formation section is composed mainly of varicoloured violet to reddish brown, fine to coarse-grained laminated and planner and overturned cross-bedded sandstones, while the overlying Naqus Formation is characterized by chaotically distributed poorly sorted quartz pebbles to cobbles within a moderately-sorted coarse- to medium-grained quartz arenite and by abundance and variety of large-scale tabular and trough cross bedding. Modal QFL classification of Araba and Naqus formation sandstones revealed that they are merely quartzose sandstones (quartz arenites). Geochemistry of the succession shows extremely wide compositional ranges for almost all major elements, but the Araba Formation is relatively enriched in SiO2, TiO2, Fe2O3*, Na2O, P2O5, and depleted in Al2O3, MgO, CaO and K2O relative to Naqus Formation. Only the Araba Formation samples are depleted in the transition elements Ni, Cr and Co and oppositely possess extreme enrichment in the HFSEs (i.e. Zr, Hf, Y, Nb, Ta, Th, U), whereas both formations show variable depletion in the LILE Rb, K and Ba, and excessive REE abundances relative to the PAAS and UCC, and LREE-enriched patterns with marked negative Eu anomalies. The provenance of the Naqus and Araba formations could be an earlier felsic magmatic source, which has undergone extensive sedimentary recycling. They possess high compositional maturity and were subjected to intensive to moderate weathering during humid climatic conditions. Passive margin tectonic setting is implied which denotes the derivation of Araba and Naqus formation siliciclastics from stable continental regions or plate interiors and deposition in intracratonic basins.

Probing the deep mantle wedge in an active subduction zone: Xenoliths from the Mercaderes Volcanic District, Southern Colombia

In subduction zones, the mantle wedge is the domain where liquid phases released by the oceanic subducting plates cause mantle hydration, metasomatism, and partial melting, producting the arc crust. However, direct petrologic information on mantle wedges overlying active subduction zones remains scarce. Here we constrain key aspects of the petrological evolution of the supra-subduction mantle underneath the active volcanic district of Southern Colombia (Mercaderes) by studying a unique suite of peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths hosted by andesites and lamprophyres. These garnet-bearing peridotite, websterite, clino- and orthopyroxenite xenoliths equilibrated between 2.5 and 4 GPa and 1100–1200 °C. The studied rocks display considerable heterogeneity in terms of lithotypes, textures, mineral abundance and extent of metasomatic overprint. Most samples display fine-grained mylonitic textures overprinting coarse-grained peridotite and garnet pyroxenite precursors; the EBSD study of undeformed garnet websterite samples suggests crystallization from melts and/or melt-rock reaction processes. Modal enrichment in clinopyroxene as well as in the alkalis and LREE contents in some garnet peridotite implies interaction with alkaline basaltic melts, whereas enrichment in silica, Pb and Sr in the garnet-bearing orthopyroxenites records interaction with metasomatic, slab-derived liquids. Some garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths display marked positive Sr anomalies and minor Eu anomalies, indicating derivation of these rocks from Mg-rich, plagioclase-bearing (and garnet-absent) low-pressure cumulates. Their equilibration in the garnet field implies that after crystallization these clinopyroxenites were transported to deeper levels in the mantle, as the result of foundering into the mantle of the dense arc roots, as already documented in Mercaderes and elsewhere in the Andes. In conclusion, the Mercaderes xenoliths probe a heterogeneous and chemically active domain of the Colombian mantle wedge, where deep sinking lower crustal rocks, melt metasomatism by distinct venues of chemically different melts, and deformation predate fast exhumation by volatile-rich melts.

Early Permian passive-margin magmatism in the Sibumasu Block, northern Thailand: A product of the slab-pull force of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean?

Continental rift-related magmatism provides important clues to continental rifting and breakup, but the petrogenesis and geodynamic processes remain debatable. Here we report a detailed study on zircon and apatite UPb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes for the hornblende gabbros in northern Thailand. Zircon and apatite UPb age data reveal emplacement of the hornblende gabbros at ca. 290 Ma. The hornblende gabbros are alkaline in composition and characterized by slight negative Nb-Ta-Zr-Hf and marked negative Ti anomalies. They have enriched Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic values [whole-rock (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.705970–0.706756; εNd(t) = +0.1 to +0.7; zircon εHf(t) = +0.2 to +9.2]. Their geochemical affinities to within-plate basalts suggest a continental rifting setting. These combined features reveal that the hornblende gabbros in northern Thailand originated from a subcontinental lithospheric mantle previously modified by subducted sediments. Our results combined with published data indicate that the continental rift-related magmatism in the Sibumasu Block took place over a long period of ca. 309–282 Ma. We suggest that the slab pull force of the Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere is a likely mechanism for the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian magmatic event in the passive margin of the Sibumasu Block.

Optical birefringence measurements of antiferromagnets with Ising spin chains

Optical birefringence measurements were performed on Ising-spin antiferromagnets with the chemical formula ACo[Formula: see text]. The temperature dependences of the birefringences of CsCoCl3 and CsCoBr3 reflect the thermal shrinkage of the crystal lattice and the development of magnetic short-range correlation in Ising spin chains. Moreover, the temperature dependences of the birefringences of RbCoBr3 and TlCoCl3 show marked anomalies at structural phase transition points. We demonstrate a method of numerically analyzing the birefringence in magnetic compounds that undergo structural phase transitions.

Analytical Study of the Changes in Brightness Temperature Based on the Tectonic Field Associated With Three Earthquakes in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

The thermal infrared brightness temperature (BT) of the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) was retrieved from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) level-1B data. The multiyear averaged BT background field was subtracted from the punctual BT data to yield monthly BT spatial anomaly, and calculated time series of BT for the secondary blocks. Then, the spatial and temporal changes in the BT of the study area before the Menyuan M6.4, Zaduo M6.2, and Jiuzhaigou M7.0 earthquakes were investigated and analyzed based on the tectonic setting. The results show the following. The spatial BT radiation enhancement frequency rose remarkably before strong earthquakes; each of the three earthquakes was preceded by marked spatiotemporal continuous BT anomalies. The tectonic setting significantly influences the BT anomaly feature. The spatial BT anomaly was not notable in the Qaidam and Qilian block before the Menyuan earthquake; the spatial BT anomaly mainly appeared in the Qiangtang and Bayan Har blocks before the Zaduo and Jiuzhaigou earthquakes. The Qiangtang and Bayan Har block’s BT time series curves have similar features. The Qaidam and Qilian block’s BT time series curves have analogous shapes. The three earthquakes may be regarded as one seismic event induced by a stage of tectonic stress enhancement rather than three independent occasions. The spatial BT anomalous behavior before earthquakes is, to a great extent, like the result of the rock stress loading experiment; the rock compression and the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling (LAIC) may be the main reasons for the intensification of the BT radiation.

Garnets in the Yinachang Fe-Cu deposit, Kangdian region, China: Mineralogical and geochemical insights into fluid-rock dominated iron oxide-copper–gold (IOCG) mineralization

Garnet is an important metasomatic mineral in iron oxide-copper–gold (IOCG) ore systems, but its crystallization mechanisms and relationship to fluid evolution in IOCG are poorly understood. In this study, major and trace element analyses were conducted on garnets from the Yinachang IOCG deposit in the Kangdian region, southwest China, in order to reveal their characteristics and forming process.Garnet commonly occurs in the K-Fe ± REE mineralization stage and Cu ± Au mineralization stage of the Yinachang deposit. Three types of garnets are identified from this deposit, which generally have high almandine but low grossular and spessartine contents (Alm65-78Gro5-17Sp5-17). The type 1 garnet (Grt 1) in the ore bodies and the type 2 garnet (Grt 2) in the proximal silicate alteration zones are pink to purple, euhedral to subhedral grains. Grt 1 exhibit zoning pattern, and Grt 2 were altered into chlorite and was mainly crosscut by ore-bearing veins. They are both extremely depleted in LILEs and enriched in HFSEs, with low total rare earth element ∑REE contents but variable LREE vs HREE ratios. The type 3 garnets (Grt 3) in the intermediate garnet-biotite-quartz zones are purple-brown, anhedral grains with high LILE, HFSE, and ∑REE contents, and exhibit LREE-depleted and HREE-enriched patterns, with marked positive Eu anomalies. All three types garnets that formed during alteration and mineralization are hydrothermal, but their composition is controlled by different mechanisms due to different environments. Compositions of Grt 1 and Grt 2 are mainly related to substitution mechanism controlled by crystal chemistry, physicochemical conditions of the closed hydrothermal system, and buffering effects of carbonate wall rocks during slow infiltration metasomatism, whereas the composition of Grt 3 is mainly controlled by surface adsorption and related to the composition of external fluid during later rapid garnet growth. Decreases in temperature, pressure, and fO2 triggered by mixing of fluids could be responsible for the distinct mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the three types of garnets.Garnets from IOCG deposits show various textual and geochemical characteristics worldwide. Generally, almandine and andradite are dominating end members for IOCGs. Andradite is typical for metasomatic origin. Although almandine garnet is generally considered to form during metamorphism, the occurrence of hydrothermal almandine in the alteration zones of IOCG deposits reveal a metasomatism between Fe-bearing fluid and Al-enriched pelite protolith in a sufficiently reduced environment. Also, it is possible that the metasomatism during mineralization has enriched the protolith with Fe, and the post-ore metamorphism formed almandine by providing high temperature and pressure.

Neutrophils Regulate Bone Formation Via IL-1b Secretion

The bone marrow (BM) is surrounded by a shell of cortical bone that protects the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from external aggressions. Within the BM, progenitors for bone and blood coexist and, intriguingly, the same mesenchymal progenitors that give rise to bone also form niches that regulate hematopoiesis. Whether, and if so how, the hematopoietic system regulates the formation of its protective osteal shell is poorly understood. Among HSC descendants, innate immune cells have been involved in maintaining homeostasis in multiple organs, and neutrophils in particular have been shown to regulate the BM stroma both at steady-state and during stress, and to contribute to vascular repair. Hence, we examined MRP8cre iDTR mice (iDTR) which allow for inducible neutropenia upon diphtheria toxin injection. We found that acute neutropenia in these mice caused bone mass reduction (48% reduction) as determined by μCT, while no changes in osteoclast numbers. We confirmed this reduction using the calcein double labeling assay, altogether indicating that neutrophils regulate bone formation. We found a similar osteoporotic phenotype in MRP8cre CXCR4fl mice (CXCR4ΔN), in which only the return of circulating neutrophils to the BM is compromised, which suggested that it is peripheral-experienced neutrophils returning to the BM that exert the regulatory effect on the bone-producing mesenchymal cells. Concomitant with bone loss, we found that the number of hematopoietic progenitors were elevated in both in the iDTR and CXCR4ΔN models as assessed by flow cytometry, CFU-C assays and limited dilution reconstitution assays, suggesting that neutrophils counteract natural, age-related alterations in the BM. To identify the mechanisms by which neutrophils regulate bone formation, we searched for factors differentially produced by neutrophils returning to the BM compared with marrow-residing neutrophils. Transcriptomic analyses of neutrophils that migrated to the BM in a parabiotic model identified 8 soluble factors that were not produced by immature neutrophils. Among these factors, we found that interleukin 1 beta (Il1b) was highly expressed in returning neutrophils by qRT-PCR and protein levels, and single-cell RNAseq demonstrated that the production of Il1b was a hallmark of neutrophil maturation and egress into blood. To explore whether this cytokine mediated the osteogenic program of neutrophils in the BM, we generated mice with neutrophil-specific deletion of Il1b ; MRP8cre Il1bfl mice (Il1bΔN). Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of CD45-Ter119-CD31-CXCL12+ stroma cells from control CXCL12GFP mice, iDTR CXCL12GFP and Il1bΔN CXCL12GFP demonstrated marked anomalies in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) into osteoblast lineage cells (OLC) and, to a lesser extent, adipocytic-lineage cells in the absence of neutrophils or neutrophil-derived Il1b. In vitro cultures confirmed a modulatory effect of Il1b on MSC differentiation. These findings correlated with the close proximity of neutrophils to CXCL12GFP+ MSC over random distribution, and with high expression of interleukin 1 receptor type1 (Il1r1) in OLC, altogether suggesting that neutrophils modulate the osteogenic program of MSC through Il1b secretion. To explore physiological contexts in which neutrophils modulate bone formation, we first examined the circadian transcriptome of total BM cells and found that Il1b was one of the few cytokines whose transcript levels in the BM followed a tight circadian pattern. We found that depletion of neutrophils fully ablated Il1b expression at all time points, raising the possibility that neutrophils enable diurnal differentiation of mesenchymal cells to produce bone. Indeed, the calcein double labeling assay assays revealed marked circadian patterns of bone synthesis that were significantly blunted in neutropenic and Il1bΔN mice. We propose that bone and blood lineages have co-evolved as an interlocked system that ensures both physical protection and cellular output of this organ.

Insights into the Tethyan mantle heterogeneity: Trace element evidence from the Karakaya Complex, Central Anatolia

The Nilüfer Unit of the Karakaya Complex (northern Turkey) preserves the remnants of the voluminous Triassic Tethyan magmatism. In the Imrahor area (Ankara), the Nilüfer Unit is characterized by a megablock consisting of hydrothermally altered basalts, gabbros, and subordinate wehrlitic cumulates. These lithologies display marked positive Nb anomalies with depleted Th/La ratios and varying degrees of LREE enrichment. They can be subdivided into two groups based on Nb/Nb*, which are not related to each other via fractional crystallization or extent of partial melting. With their strong Nb-kick and broad La/Sm range, the Imrahor lithologies are more akin to FOZO (Focus Zone)- or C (common component)-type melts than EM (Enriched Mantle) and HIMU (high μ). The Zr-Nb systematics reveals that melt mixing was an essential process in the petrogenesis of these mafic rocks. Based on geochemical modeling, the trace element systematics of the İmrahor lithologies can be explained by melting metasomatized oceanic lithospheric mantle (OLM) infiltrated by very low-degree melt fractions. The metasomatized OLM may represent a recycled, plume-related material that has generated Nb-enriched melts during the Triassic Tethyan magmatism.

A child with Roberts syndrome presenting severe craniofacial anomaly

Roberts syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly which was described by John Roberts in 1919, also known as pseudothalidomidic or phocomelia. Characterized by skeletal deformities, in particular symmetric reduction of the extremities and craniofacial anomalies such as cleft lip and palate and cranio synostosis presenting more frequently, as well as bilateral symmetric short neck tetraphocomelia or hypomelia and brachydactyly. Its prevalence is unclear. As of now, 150 cases of different racial and ethnic origins have been reported in the literature. The diagnosis of Roberts Syndrome is established by cytogenetic and molecular analysis which show a phenomenon known as premature separation of the centromere or heterochromatin repulsion, constituting the main marker for Roberts syndrome. For any child with limb and craniofacial bone malformations, this syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to present a clinical case of a 2-year-old patient with Roberts Syndrome with a marked craniofacial anomaly.

Recent evolution of glaciers in the Cocuy‐Güican Mountains (Colombian Andes) and the hydrological implications

AbstractThis study extends knowledge of the evolution of glacier shrinkage in the Cocuy‐Güican Mountains since the maximum glacier extent of the Little Ice Age (LIA). Mass balance data for the Ritacuba Glacier since 2009 were acquired and compared with available data for the Conejeras Glacier (Los Nevados National Park). This study also investigated the hydrological significance of Colombian glaciers, which is still largely unknown because the available information is very limited. Glaciers in the Cocuy‐Güican Mountains covered 13.2 km2 in 2019 compared with 127.8 km2 during the maximum LIA, representing a shrinkage of 89.7%. Analysis of glacier cover observations made in 1955, 1994, 2010, and 2019 revealed that the rate of ice loss was greatest from 1994 to 2010 (0.59 km2 yr−1), and was then almost halved from 2010 to 2019 (0.34 km2 yr−1). This slowing of glacier retreat is consistent with the moderate negative mass balance measured for 2009–2019, and an accumulated loss of 1766 mm w.e. (mm water equivalent). The progressive confinement of glaciers to higher elevations, ice accumulation in topographic locations providing shelter from solar radiation, and an absence of recent marked climatic anomalies could explain why the Cocuy‐Güican glaciers have temporally reached a near equilibrium state conditions. This contrasts with the Conejeras Glacier, where 47,000 mm w.e. has been lost in the same period. The available data on runoff and isotope tracers of streamflow and precipitation suggest that precipitation rather than glacier melt water exerts primary control over the hydrological variability at high elevation sites.

Seasonal Differences of Decadal Thermocline Depth Anomalies in the Tropical Indian Ocean

Abstract The thermocline depth in the tropical Indian Ocean has experienced dramatic decadal variations in recent decades. Using analysis and reanalysis datasets, we find that the decadal thermocline depth anomalies show large seasonal differences. The seasonal differences are modulated by two major modes. The first mode shows a zonal dipole pattern, with opposite thermocline depth anomalies in the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean and western Indian Ocean, and is prominent in summer and winter. The second mode is characterized by marked thermocline depth anomalies in the southern Indian Ocean and is significant in spring and fall. The amplitude of the seasonal oscillation in these two modes has increased substantially in the twenty-first century. Their phase change is in good agreement with the observed thermocline depth anomalies in each season. The results also show that the seasonality of the decadal thermocline depth anomalies arises directly from surface wind variations within the Indian Ocean. The first mode is mainly caused by equatorial zonal wind anomalies. The second mode is dominated by local wind stress curl anomalies. These wind anomalies are both significantly correlated with the ENSO-like SST anomalies in the Pacific Ocean. The findings improve our understanding of the decadal thermocline anomalies, and will help to better evaluate their impact on seasonal phase-locked oceanic and atmospheric processes.

Distinct impacts of two types of South Asian high on the connection of the summer rainfall over India and north China

AbstractThis study reveals a distinct impact of two types of the South Asian highs (SAH)—the northern mode of the SAH (NSAH) and the traditional SAH in its entirety (ESAH)—on the relation between Indian and north China summer rainfall variation. Specifically, variation of the summer rainfall over India has a strong (weak) relation with that over north China in the anomalous NSAH (ESAH) years. In particular, in association with a reinforced and northwestward shifting NSAH, the westerly jet stream at upper‐level troposphere over mid‐latitude also enhances and shifts northward. This is accompanied by a significant circumglobal teleconnection (CGT)‐like atmospheric wave train over mid‐latitude, with two marked anticyclonic anomalies around western Asia and northeastern China. The associated southerly wind anomalies over tropical northern Indian Ocean transport more water vapour northward to India and lead to above‐normal rainfall there. In addition, the pronounced southerly wind anomalies over East Asia transport abundant water vapour to north China and also result in more rainfall over north China. The above‐normal summer rainfall and associated atmospheric heating over India help maintain the CGT wave train over mid‐latitude, which is beneficial to increasing rainfall over north China, and leading to a close connection between the Indian and north China summer rainfall variation. However, for the ESAH years, the summer rainfall anomalies over India are weak, which cannot induce an obvious CGT‐like wave train over mid‐latitude and thus have a weak impact on the rainfall over north China. Thereby, the relation between Indian and north China summer is weak for the ESAH years.

Lithium in garnet as a tracer of subduction zone metamorphic reactions: The record in ultrahigh-pressure metapelites at Lago di Cignana, Italy

Abstract Lithium is of great interest as a tracer of metamorphic reactions and related fluid-mineral interactions because of its potential to isotopically fractionate during inter- and intracrystalline diffusional processes. Study of its transfer through subduction zones, based on study of arc volcanic and metamorphic rocks, can yield insight regarding ocean-to-mantle chemical cycling. We investigated major- and trace-element concentrations and δ7Li in garnet in ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) Lago di Cignana metasedimentary rocks, relating these observations to reconstructed prograde devolatilization history. In all garnet crystals we studied, heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), Y, and Li showed strong zoning, with elevated concentrations in cores (15–50 ppm Li) and marked high-concentration anomalies (up to 117 ppm Li, 5500 ppm Y; little or no major-element shift) as growth annuli, in which some crystals showed subtle elevation in δ7Li greater than analytical error of ~3% (2σ). Rutile inclusions appeared abruptly at annuli and outward toward rims, accompanied by inclusions of a highly zoned, Ca- and rare earth element–rich phase and decreased Nb concentrations in garnet. These relationships are interpreted to reflect prograde garnet-forming reaction(s), in part involving titanite breakdown to stabilize rutile, which resulted in delivery of more abundant Y and HREEs at surfaces of growing garnet crystals to produce annuli. Co-enrichments in Li and Y + REEs are attributed to mutual incorporation via charge-coupled substitutions; thus, increased Li uptake was a passive consequence of elevated concentrations of Y + REEs. The small-scale fluctuations in δ7Li (overall range of ~9%) observed in some crystals may correlate with abrupt shifts in major- and trace-element concentrations, suggesting that changes in reactant phases exerted some control on the evolution of δ7Li. For one garnet crystal, late-stage growth following partial resorption produced deviation in major- and trace-element compositions, including Li concentration, accompanied by a 10%–15% negative shift in δ7Li, perhaps reflecting a change in the mechanism of incorporation or source of Li. These results highlight the value of measuring the major- and trace-element and isotope compositions of garnets in high-pressure and UHP metamorphic rocks in which matrix mineral assemblages are extensively overprinted by recrystallization during exhumation histories. Lithium concentrations and isotope compositions of the garnets can add valuable information regarding prograde (and retrograde) reaction history, kinetics of porphyroblast growth, intracrystalline diffusion, and fluid-rock interactions. This work, integrated with previous study of devolatilization in the Schistes Lustrés/Cignana metasedimentary suite, indicates retention of a large fraction of the initially subducted sedimentary Li budget to depths approaching those beneath volcanic fronts, despite the redistribution of this Li among mineral phases during complex mineral reaction histories.

Out-of-equilibrium criticalities in graphene superlattices.

In thermodynamic equilibrium, current in metallic systems is carried by electronic states near the Fermi energy, whereas the filled bands underneath contribute little to conduction. Here, we describe a very different regime in which carrier distribution in graphene and its superlattices is shifted so far from equilibrium that the filled bands start playing an essential role, leading to a critical-current behavior. The criticalities develop upon the velocity of electron flow reaching the Fermi velocity. Key signatures of the out-of-equilibrium state are current-voltage characteristics that resemble those of superconductors, sharp peaks in differential resistance, sign reversal of the Hall effect, and a marked anomaly caused by the Schwinger-like production of hot electron-hole plasma. The observed behavior is expected to be common to all graphene-based superlattices.

Discovery of Early Paleozoic eclogite-facies metamorphic rocks in the western part of North Qinling Orogen and its geological significance

西秦岭地处中国中央造山系东西转换衔接部位，随着东秦岭以及祁连、柴北缘和东昆仑早古生代高压-超高压变质岩石的陆续发现和深入研究，西秦岭造山带变质作用研究吸引了大家的普遍关注。本文在大范围野外地质调查基础上，在北秦岭造山带西段天水南部的秦岭岩群长英质片麻岩中发现了一套石榴子石斜长角闪岩（榴闪岩），并开展了详细的锆石形貌和内部结构、微区微量元素和U-Th-Pb同位素研究。CL图像显示榴闪岩锆石普遍具有核-幔-边或核-边结构，部分存在原岩残留锆石。定年结果得到榴闪岩原岩残留锆石年龄为710±52Ma，同时得到497±3Ma、452±3Ma和423±7Ma三期变质年龄。其中497±3Ma变质年龄来自锆石核部并显示出轻稀土亏损、重稀土平坦且没有明显负Eu异常的稀土配分曲线特征，表明该时期的矿物组合中有石榴子石但没有斜长石，与榴辉岩相变质锆石特征一致；452±3Ma变质年龄来自锆石幔部或边部，对应测点重稀土元素的分异加大，并出现弱的负Eu异常，说明此时石榴子石被消耗且出现少量斜长石；423±7Ma变质年龄来自锆石的最边部，对应稀土配分曲线表现出更明显的负Eu异常和更大的重稀土元素分异特征，指示此时岩石中石榴子石含量更少，斜长石含量更多。上述结果表明该榴闪岩可能经历了~500Ma的榴辉岩相变质作用，并在~450Ma和~420Ma叠加了两期退变质改造。天水地区榴闪岩无论是其野外产状，还是变质锆石的形貌和内部结构、稀土配分曲线特征及其所记录的原岩和三期变质年龄都与北秦岭造山带东段大陆俯冲型高压-超高压变质榴辉岩近乎一致，指示早古生代时期，北秦岭造山带西段与东段经历了相似的大陆（深）俯冲和折返过程，它们共同构成一条统一的早古生代高压-超高压变质岩带。;The western part of North Qinling Orogen (NQO) is located at the conjunction area of several Paleozoic high pressure-ultrahigh pressure (HP-UHP) belts in the central China continent, the North Qinling UHP belt in the east and the North Qaidam and the East Kunlun UHP belts in the west, thus its metamorphism has drawn broad scientific interest. We document here an integrated study of zircon morphology, microstructure, in-situ trace element compositions and U-Th-Pb dating on a newly discovered garnet amphibolite in southern Tianshui, the western part of NQO. The garnet amphibolite occurs as a lensoid block in the felsic gneiss of the Qinling Complex, and mainly consists of amphibolite (50%~60%), garnet (10%~15%), quartz (~10%), plagioclase (5%~10%), muscovite (~5%) and ilmenite (~3%). Zircons from the garnet amphibolite display obvious core-mantle-rim or core-rim structures with a few protolith zircon relicts. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating yielded a protolith age of 710±52Ma and three metamorphic ages of 497±3Ma, 452±3Ma and 423±7Ma. The 497±3Ma metamorphic cores display flat heavy rare earth elements (HREE) patterns without obvious Eu anomalies, indicating they were formed in presence of garnet but absence of plagioclase under eclogite-facies condition; The 452±3Ma metamorphic mantles or rims show shallow HREE slopes with moderately negative Eu anomalies, indicating that these zircons grew accompanied by initial appearance of plagioclase and decomposition of garnet; The 423±7Ma metamorphic rims exhibit steep HREE patterns and marked negative Eu anomalies, indicating massive crystallization of plagioclase and decomposition of garnet during their formation. These results suggest that the garnet amphibolite probably experienced eclogite-facies metamorphism at~500Ma and two stages retrograde overprint at ~450Ma and ~420Ma. The occurrence, zircon microstructures, protolith and multiple metamorphic ages of the garnet amphibolite from Tianshui area are basically consistent with the continental-type HP-UHP rocks of the eastern part of NQO. Therefore, we suggest that both western and eastern part of NQO experienced similar continental deep subduction and exhumation processes and thus they form a united Early Paleozoic HP-UHP metamorphic belt.

Geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, Sr[sbnd]Nd isotopes, and biotite chemistry of the Deh-Bala intrusive rocks, Central Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (Iran): Implications for magmatic processes and copper mineralization

The Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) of Iran hosts a variety of volcano-plutonic rocks of different composition and age formed by subduction of Neo-Tethyan Ocean beneath Eurasian supercontinent and the subsequent processes of post-subduction magmatism. This study focuses on mineral chemistry of biotite and amphibole, zircon UPb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and SrNd isotopic geochemistry in the Deh-Bala granitoid, in an attempt to investigate the porphyry-epithermal mineralization potential. The Deh-Bala intrusions in the central part of the UDMA consist mainly of granodiorite and minor tonalite, with microgranular enclaves (MEs) of gabbrodiorite, diorite, and monzodiorite composition. In addition, the main ore minerals associated with more altered and mineralized varieties of these intrusions include chalcopyrite, covellite, malachite, and pyrite. The silicic, argillic, phyllic (sericitic), and propylitic facies of alteration occur in parts of the Deh-Bala area; these types of alteration, which are typically considered the most important predictors of porphyry copper‑gold and (or) epithermal precious metal mineralization.LA-ICP-MS UPb dating of zircons reveals that the pluton was emplaced during Middle-Eocene (ca. 39.0 Ma). The Deh-Bala granitoids (DBG) are calc-alkaline in composition (Na2O + K2O: 4.8–7.3 wt%) and display SiO2 contents from ∼53 to ∼67 wt%. They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) relative to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), with marked Eu anomalies. They are also characterized by an enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs, such as Rb, K, and U) and a depletion in high-field strength elements (HFSE, such Nb, Y, Ti, and Zr), displaying obviously depletions with Ba, P, and Sc. The DBG shows whole-rock initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (ISr) of 0.7048–0.7061, εNd(t) values of −1.79 to +1.64, and Nd two-stage depleted mantle model ages (TDM2) from 747 to 1004 Ma. These isotopic data, combined with the geochemical signatures, indicate that the DBG originated through mixing of mafic and felsic end-members, the former was derived from melting of the lithospheric mantle, and the latter derived from partial melting of Neoproterozoic crustal materials in a continental-arc.Biotite compositions analysed by electron microprobe are consistent with the Deh-Bala magmas being oxidized and chlorine-rich, similar to worldwide porphyry copper‑gold systems formed in arc-related settings associated with convergent margin subduction zones. Such a chlorine-rich magmatic-hydrothermal system is known to be effective in scavenging copper and (or) gold from melt and its transfer to shallow levels.