Mineral Element Composition Research Articles

Comparative Studies on the Mineral Elemental Composition of Gamma Irradiated Smoked Shrimps (Penaeus notialis) from 3 Different Water Sources in Ghana

Dry and smoked shrimp constitute an important nutrient supplement for the populace in Ghana. Shrimp continues to represent one of the safest forms of muscle protein consumed in the world. Despite this safety record, shrimp have a high tolerance to toxins in polluted areas. The effect of irradiation on the nutrient and mineral elements including heavy metals were examined after storage for 4 months in dense polyethylene bowls. Elemental composition was estimated by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The Flame Photometer (FP) was used in the determination of Sodium and Potassium. There were clear differences in the concentration of heavy metals, and macro nutrients (Mg, K, Na, Zn) due to influence of the type of water body they dwelled in. Irradiation had some or no effect on the concentration of these listed elemental and components, but there were interactions between sources of shrimp, storage time and irradiation dose in some instances. Multivariate analysis of elemental composition showed that, accumulation of Fe, Cu, Zn, and N was generally attended by uptake of Pb, Cr, Na, and K. The order of elemental concentration (in decreasing order) was: Fe > Cu > Zn > N > Mn >Pb> Cr >Na > K > Ni > Cd.

Atom‐probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy of the kamacite–taenite interface in the fast‐cooled Bristol IVA iron meteorite

AbstractWe report the first combined atom‐probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of a kamacite–tetrataenite (K–T) interface region within an iron meteorite, Bristol (IVA). Ten APT nanotips were prepared from the K–T interface with focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) and then studied using TEM followed by APT. Near the K‐T interface, we found 3.8 ± 0.5 wt% Ni in kamacite and 53.4 ± 0.5 wt% Ni in tetrataenite. High‐Ni precipitate regions of the cloudy zone (CZ) have 50.4 ± 0.8 wt% Ni. A region near the CZ and martensite interface has <10 nm sized Ni‐rich precipitates with 38.4 ± 0.7 wt% Ni present within a low‐Ni matrix having 25.5 ± 0.6 wt% Ni. We found that Cu is predominantly concentrated in tetrataenite, whereas Co, P, and Cr are concentrated in kamacite. Phosphorus is preferentially concentrated along the K‐T interface. This study is the first precise measurement of the phase composition at high spatial resolution and in 3‐D of the K‐T interface region in a IVA iron meteorite and furthers our knowledge of the phase composition changes in a fast‐cooled iron meteorite below 400 °C. We demonstrate that APT in conjunction with TEM is a useful approach to study the major, minor, and trace elemental composition of nanoscale features within fast‐cooled iron meteorites.

Water in garnet pyroxenite from the Sulu orogen: Implications for crust-mantle interaction in continental subduction zone

Mineral water contents, together with the major and trace element compositions of minerals and whole-rock, were determined for garnet pyroxenites enclosed by ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic gneiss at Hujialin in the Sulu orogen. The garnet pyroxenites have low SiO2 contents of 40.25 to 46.68wt% and MgO contents of 10.99 to 14.79wt%. They are characterized by enrichment in LREE and LILE (Ba, Sr, Pb) but depletion in HFSE (Nb, Zr) and HREE. They were generated in the Triassic by metasomatic reaction of the mantle wedge peridotite with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the deeply subducted continental crust. Measured water contents vary from 523 to 1213ppm for clinopyroxene, and 55 to 1476ppm for garnet. These mineral water contents are not only correlated with mineral major and trace element abundances but also relatively homogenous within single mineral grains. Such features preclude significant disturbance of the mineral water contents during pyroxenite exhumation from the mantle depth to the surface and thus indicate preservation of the primary water contents for the UHP metasomatites. The garnet pyroxenites are estimated to have bulk water contents of 424–660ppm, which are higher than those for the MORB source, similar to or higher than those for the OIB sources and close to the lower limit for the arc magma source. The relationships between contents of mineral water and some elements suggest that the high water contents of garnet pyroxenites are primarily determined by the abundance of water-rich clinopyroxene. Garnet also has the high water contents, suggesting its importance in hosting water at mantle depths. Calculated whole-rock H2O/Ce ratios are 63–145, higher than those for Hawaiian garnet pyroxenites and SWIR abyssal pyroxenites. These observations suggest that metasomatic pyroxene-rich lithologies have the capacity to contribute high H2O concentrations and variable H2O/Ce ratios to the mantle. This lends support to the interpretation that the source of some intraplate basalts may be a heterogeneous mixture of peridotite and pyroxenite. On the other hand, the high water contents of garnet pyroxenites suggest that the presence of ultramafic metasomatites in the mantle wedge would enhance its water storage and thus reduce the water transport into deeper mantle by subduction.

Trace elements in olivine of ultramafic lamprophyres controlled by phlogopite-rich mineral assemblages in the mantle source

Carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) and associated rocks characteristically occur during the early stages of thinning and rifting of cratonic mantle lithosphere, prior to the eruption of melilitites, nephelinites and alkali basalts. It is accepted that they require volatile-rich melting conditions, and the presence of phlogopite and carbonate in the source, but the exact source rock assemblages are debated. Melts similar to carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) have been produced by melting of peridotites in the presence of CO2 and H2O, whereas isotopes and trace elements appear to favor distinct phlogopite-bearing rocks.Olivine macrocrysts in aillikites are usually rounded and abraded, so that it is debated whether they are phenocrysts or mantle xenocrysts. We have analyzed minor and trace element composition in olivines from the type aillikites from Aillik Bay in Labrador, Canada. We characterize five groups of olivines: [1] mantle xenocrysts, [2] the main phenocryst population, and [3] reversely zoned crystals interpreted as phenocrysts from earlier, more fractionated, magma batches, [4] rims on the phenocrysts, which delineate aillikite melt fractionation trends, and [5] rims around the reversely zoned olivines. The main phenocryst population is characterized by mantle-like Ni (averaging 3400μgg−1) and Ni/Mg at Mg# of 88–90, overlapping with phenocrysts in ocean island basalts and Mediterranean lamproites. However, they also have low 100Mn/Fe of 0.9–1.3 and no correlation between Ni and other trace elements (Sc, Co, Li) that would indicate recycled oceanic or continental crust in their sources. The low Mn/Fe without high Ni/Mg, and the high V/Sc (2–5) are inherited from phlogopite in the source that originated by solidification of lamproitic melts at the base of the cratonic lithosphere in a previous stage of igneous activity. The olivine phenocryst compositions are interpreted to result from phlogopite and not high modal pyroxene in the source. The presence of kimberlites and ultramafic lamprophyres of Mesozoic age in Greenland indicates the persistence of a steep edge to the cratonic lithosphere at a time when this had been removed from the western flank in Labrador.

Dualistic distribution coefficients of trace elements in the system mineral–hydrothermal solution. IV. Platinum and silver in pyrite

The FeS2–Ag–Pt–As system was studied using hydrothermal thermogradient synthesis (with internal sampling) of pyrite crystals at a temperature of 500°C and pressure of 1 kbar in ammonium chloridebased solutions. The modes of occurrence of precious metals (PM) were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in its version of statistical selections of analytical data on single crystals (SSADSC), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The concentration of Pt in its structural mode in pyrite is as high as 10–11 ppm and is practically not correlated with the As concentration. The dualistic distribution coefficient of Pt between pyrite and hydrothermal solution is 21 ± 7 for the structural mode and 210 ± 80 for the surface-related mode of this element. No inclusions of either any Pt-bearing minerals or Pt itself was detected. Platinum is an element highly compatible with hydrothermal pyrite and is different in this sense from gold, and pyrite is underestimated as a potential concentrator of platinumgroup elements (PGE). The distribution of Ag in pyrite is highly heterogeneous. The likely reason for this is that the Ag solid solution cannot be quenched, and hence, the Ag concentrations broadly vary and are very unsystematically distributed in natural pyrite crystals. Assuming this hypothesis, the limit for Ag accommodation in FeS2 can be estimated using SSADSC at 0.09 ± 0.06 wt % under the experimental parameters, and the distribution coefficient of the structural Ag mode is thereby evaluated at 1400 ± 700. When crystallizing together with FeS2 proustite (Ag3AsS3) near its melting point, forms mixtures with dervillite (Ag2AsS2), in which Ag deficit is counterbalanced by excess divalent As. The limit of As incorporation into pyrite under these conditions is ≤0.1 wt %. SEM-EDS and XPS data indicate that the surface phases are of three types. In the course of crystal growth, practically two-dimensional nonautonomous phases (NP) are aggregated into submicroscopic and micrometer-sized crystalline bodies (mesocrystals) that largely inherit their unusual minor-element composition from NP and are enriched in Ag, Pt, As, and other minor elements. NP and mesocrystals are enriched in Al, which was transferred into them from the Al-bearing Ti alloy of the reaction containers. Silver occur in the volume of the crystals and on their surface as monovalent silver sulfide. Arsenic was detected mostly in the form of di- and trivalent arsenic sulfides. Pentavalent arsenic oxide was identified only on the surface of the crystals and can be easily eliminated by ion milling.

Geochronology of Metamorphic Events in the Lower Crust beneath NW Russia: a Xenolith Hf Isotope Study

Hf isotope data for zircons and whole-rocks from lower crustal mafic granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from NW Russia are presented together with the results of U–Pb zircon dating, Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr isotopic compositions of bulk-rocks and minerals, and trace element compositions of minerals. Most zircons preserve a record of only the youngest metamorphic events, but a few Grt-granulite xenoliths retain Archean magmatic zircons from their protolith. Metamorphic zircons have highly variable ɛHf(t) values from –25 to –4. The least radiogenic zircons were formed by recrystallization of primary magmatic Archean zircons. Zircons with the most radiogenic ɛHf grew before garnet or were contemporaneous with its formation. Zircons with ɛHf(t) from –15 to –9 formed by various mechanisms, including recrystallization of pre-existing metamorphic zircons, subsolidus growth in the presence of garnet and exsolution from rutile. They inherited their Hf isotopic composition from clinopyroxene, pargasite, rutile and earlier-formed zircon that had equilibrated with garnet. Subsolidus zircons were formed in response to a major change in mineral association (i.e. garnet- and zircon-producing reactions including partial melting). Recrystallized zircons date the onset of high-temperature conditions without a major change in mineral association. Age data for metamorphic zircons fall into five groups: >1·91 Ga, 1·81–1·86 Ga, 1·74–1·77 Ga, 1·64–1·67 Ga and <1·6 Ga. Most ages correlate with metamorphic events in the regional upper crust superimposed onto rocks of the Belomorian belt during formation of the Lapland Granulite Belt. Zircon formation and resetting at 1·64–1·67 Ga significantly postdates Lapland–Kola orogenic events and may relate to the onset of Mesoproterozoic rifting. The youngest ages (1·6–1·3 Ga) correspond to an event that affected only a few grains in some samples and can be explained by interaction with a localized fluid. The observed garnet-granulite associations were formed at 1·83 Ga in Arkhangelsk xenoliths and 1·74–1·76 Ga in most Kola xenoliths. By the end of the Lapland–Kola orogeny, the rocks were already assembled in the lower crust. However, no addition of juvenile material has been detected and preservation of pre-Lapland–Kola metamorphic zircon indicates that some xenoliths represent an older lower crust. Granulites, pyroxenites and Phl-rich rocks have a common metamorphic history since at least c. 1·75 Ga. At about 1·64 Ga metasomatic introduction of phlogopite took place; however, this was only one of several phlogopite-forming events in the lower crust.

Synthesis and characterization of surrogate nuclear explosion debris: urban glass matrix

Surrogate nuclear explosive debris was synthesized and characterized for major, minor, and trace elemental composition as well as uranium isotopics. The samples consisted of an urban glass matrix, equal masses soda lime and cement, doped with 500 ppm uranium with varying enrichments. The surface and cross section morphology were measured with SEM, and the major elemental composition was determined by XPS. LA-ICP-MS was used to measure the uranium isotopic abundance comparing different sampling techniques. The results provide an example of the utility of LA-ICP-MS for forensics applications.

Intersexual differences in plant growth, yield, mineral composition and antioxidants of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) as affected by selenium form

The aim of the present study was the assessment of intersexual differences in yield, plant growth, mineral element composition and antioxidants content of spinach leaves under selenium application. Comparisons were made of three selenium treatments as foliar applications: sodium selenate (Se+6), sodium selenite (Se+4), not treated control. Female plants showed both higher leaf expansion and yield than the male ones and they were best affected by sodium selenate application. The male plant leaves accumulated higher amounts of Se, Li, Al, As, Cr and V, while the female forms showed higher concentrations of P, B and I. Sodium selenate enhanced the intersexual differences in terms of higher accumulation of Mn, Co, Ni in male plant leaves and Ca and K in the female ones. Intersexual differences of sodium selenite treated plants resulted in the predominant accumulation of Na, Zn and Cd by male plants and Pb by female individuals. Selenite treatment resulted in leaf nitrate decrease in female plants and increase in male ones. Within male plants, sodium selenate fortification resulted in the highest leaf dry residue, whereas sodium selenite and control led to higher dry residue in females than in males. Male forms showed higher polyphenols concentration, whereas under sodium selenate higher ascorbic acid, chlorophyll and carotenes were recorded in female individuals than in male ones. The results of this research suggest that plant biomass, mineral elements, antioxidants and nitrates accumulation depend on plant sexual form as well as on their relationship with selenium.

Evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan): Constraints from geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic studies on peridotite xenoliths in trachybasalt

Major and trace element compositions of minerals as well as Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes from spinel peridotite xenoliths entrained in Late Cenozoic trachybasalt from Mt. Baekdu (Changbaishan) were used to elucidate lithospheric mantle formation and evolution in the eastern North China Craton (NCC). The analyzed peridotites were mainly spinel lherzolites with rare harzburgites. They consisted of olivine (Fo89.3–91.0), enstatite (Wo1–2En88–90Fs8–11), diopside (Wo45–50En45–51Fs4–6), and spinel (Cr#=8.8–54.7). The peridotite residues underwent up to ~25% partial melting in fertile mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB) mantle. Plots of the Cr# in spinel against the Mg# in coexisting olivine or spinel suggested an affinity with abyssal peridotites. Comparisons of Cr# and TiO2 in spinel were also compatible with an abyssal peridotite-like composition; however, harzburgites were slightly enriched in TiO2 because of the reaction with MORB-like melt. Temperatures estimated using two-pyroxene thermometry ranged from 750 to 1010°C, reflecting their lithospheric mantle origin. The rare earth element (REE) patterns in clinopyroxenes of the peridotites varied from light REE (LREE) depleted to spoon shaped to LREE enriched, reflecting secondary overprinting effects of metasomatic melts or fluids on the residues from primordial melting. The calculated trace element pattern of metasomatic melt equilibrated with clinopyroxene in Mt. Baekdu peridotite showed strong enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, Th and U together with slight fractionation in heavy REEs (HREEs) and considerable depletion in Nb and Ti. The Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions of clinopyroxenes separated from the peridotites varied from more depleted than present-day MORB to bulk Earth values. However, some clinopyroxene showed a decoupling between Nd and Sr isotopes, deviating from the mantle array with a high 87Sr/86Sr ratio. This sample also showed a significant Nd–Hf isotope decoupling lying well above the mantle array. The Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd model ages of residual clinopyroxenes yielded Early Proterozoic to Phanerozoic ages. No signature of Archean cratonic mantle was present. Therefore, Mt. Baekdu peridotite is residual lithospheric mantle that has undergone variable degrees of diachronous melt extraction and infiltration metasomatism involving subduction-related, fluid-bearing silicate melts. The predominance of Phanerozoic Hf model ages indicates that the lherzolites represent lithospheric mantle fragments newly accreted underneath the eastern NCC.

Precipitation of Carbonate Minerals Induced by the Halophilic Chromohalobacter Israelensis under High Salt Concentrations: Implications for Natural Environments

The precipitation of carbonate minerals induced by halophilic bacteria has aroused wide concern. The study aimed to investigate the characterization and process of biomineralization in high salt systems by halophilic Chromohalobacter israelensis LD532 (GenBank: KX766026) bacteria, isolated from the Yinjiashan Saltern in China. Carbonate minerals were induced in magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride medium, respectively. The mineral phase, morphology, and elemental composition of minerals were analyzed using X-ray p owder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray detection. Cells and ultrathin slices were studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray detection. The carbonic anhydrase and ammonia released from LD532 bacteria increased pH of the medium and promoted the carbonate precipitation. Magnesium calcite and aragonite were induced by LD532 bacteria in magnesium chloride medium at an Mg/Ca molar ratio of 2, while Magnesium calcite and monohydrocalcite were precipitated in magnesium sulfate medium at the same Mg/Ca ratio, only monohydrocalcite were formed in both control groups. The morphologies and compositions of minerals in MgSO4 and MgCl2 solutions displayed significant differences, indicating different Mg2+ could affect physiological and biochemical activities of LD532 bacteria and thus affect the mineral deposition. Further study showed the nucleation sites were located on extracellular polymeric substances and intracellular vesicles of LD532 bacteria. This study is beneficial to the mechanism of carbonate biomineralization in natural salt environments.

Magmatic and geodynamic significance of two volcaniclastic deposits in the Oligo- Miocene successions of southern Apennines (Italy)

Two volcaniclastic deposits, ROC and SBA, in the Oligo-Miocene succession of the Southern Apennines, between the Apulia and Campania regions, have been studied for the first time. Mineral composition, SEM-EDS and LA-ICP-MS analyses, for major and trace elements, respectively, allowed recognizing magmatic products of typical calc-alkaline to high-K calc-alkaline affinity. ROC glasses have a restricted compositional range in the rhyolitic field whereas SBA glasses show a wide compositional range from andesite to rhyolite, with dacite as the most common composition. Fission-track dating of apatite in the SBA deposits yielded an age of 21.7 ± 2.2 Ma, which is comprised between the Chattian and the Burdigalian. Biostratigraphic analyses in sedimentary layers adjacent to ROC layers indicate they were deposited not before Burdigalian. A provenance analysis of the studied volcaniclastics in relation to the possible source areas of the Mediterranean and neighbouring areas was performed. On the basis of time constraints, mineral and trace element composition a convincing correlation of the ROC deposits with potential source areas did not emerge. Instead, a provenance from the southwestern and northwestern Sardinian volcanic centres was favoured for the SBA volcaniclastic deposits. This hypothesis is compatible with the Oligo-Miocene paleogeographic reconstructions, that show the proximity of the Apennine sedimentary basins to Sardinia before the opening of the Tyrrhenian sea.

Size fractionation as a tool for separating charcoal of different fuel source and recalcitrance in the wildfire ash layer

Charcoal is a heterogeneous material exhibiting a diverse range of properties. This variability represents a serious challenge in studies that use the properties of natural charcoal for reconstructing wildfires history in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that particle size is a sufficiently robust indicator for separating forest wildfire combustion products into fractions with distinct properties. For this purpose, we examined two different forest environments affected by contrasting wildfires in terms of severity: an eucalypt forest in Australia, which experienced an extremely severe wildfire, and a Mediterranean pine forest in Italy, which burned to moderate severity. We fractionated the ash/charcoal layers collected on the ground into four size fractions (>2, 2–1, 1–0.5, <0.5mm) and analysed them for mineral ash content, elemental composition, chemical structure (by IR spectroscopy), fuel source and charcoal reflectance (by reflected-light microscopy), and chemical/thermal recalcitrance (by chemical and thermal oxidation).At both sites, the finest fraction (<0.5mm) had, by far, the greatest mass. The C concentration and C/N ratio decreased with decreasing size fraction, while pH and the mineral ash content followed the opposite trend. The coarser fractions showed higher contribution of amorphous carbon and stronger recalcitrance. We also observed that certain fuel types were preferentially represented by particular size fractions. We conclude that the differences between ash/charcoal size fractions were most likely primarily imposed by fuel source and secondarily by burning conditions. Size fractionation can therefore serve as a valuable tool to characterise the forest wildfire combustion products, as each fraction displays a narrower range of properties than the whole sample. We propose the mineral ash content of the fractions as criterion for selecting the appropriate number of fractions to analyse.

Mimicking shear zones: An example from Wadi Filk, Jordan

Ductile shear zones can develop in at least two ways: (1) a nucleus can grow laterally by free propagation into undeformed host rock, like most faults or joints; (2) the zone may nucleate and grow on or in a planar discontinuity and mimick its orientation. Most small-scale ductile shear zones are mimicking zones, but large-scale ductile shear zones could be free-propagating. The Wadi Filk mylonite zone in Jordan is a two km long, ten meter wide mylonite zone flanked by ultramylonite zones, developed in undeformed Neoproterozoic porphyritic monzogranite. Since mineral and major element composition of mylonite and monzogranite are identical, the structure seems to have formed by free propagation. Only detailed observations of the microstructure and trace element chemistry of the mylonite indicate that it is mimicking a precursor rhyolitic dyke. The Wadi Filk mylonite zone shows that even km-scale ductile shear zones can be mimicking dykes. Fine-grained chilled margins of dykes can act as a nucleus of ultramylonite formation.

Effects of melatonin on seedling growth, mineral nutrition, and nitrogen metabolism in cucumber under nitrate stress.

In China, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers in glasshouses leads to nitrate accumulations in soil and plants, which then limits productivity. Melatonin, an evolutionarily highly conserved molecule, has a wide range of functions in plants. We analyzed the effects of melatonin pretreatment on the growth, mineral nutrition, and nitrogen metabolism in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. "Jin You No. 1") when seedlings were exposed to nitrate stress. An application of 0.1mmol/L melatonin significantly improved the growth of plants and reduced their susceptibility to damage due to high nitrate levels (0.6mol/L) during the ensuing period of stress treatment. Although excess nitrate led to an increase in the concentrations of nitrogen, potassium, and calcium, as well as a decrease in levels of phosphorus and magnesium, exogenous melatonin generally had the opposite effect except for a further rise in calcium concentrations. Pretreatment also significantly reduced the accumulations of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen and enhanced the activities of enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism. Expression of Cs-NR and Cs-GOGAT, two genes that function in that metabolism, was greatly down-regulated when plants were exposed to 0.6mol/L nitrate, but was up-regulated in plants that had received the 0.1mmol/L melatonin pretreatment. Our results are the first evidence that melatonin has an important role in modulating the composition of mineral elements and nitrogen metabolism, thereby alleviating the inhibitory effect on growth normally associated with nitrate stress.

Chemistry and petrology of paired feed coal and combustion ash from anthracite-burning stoker boilers

The feed coal and corresponding ash from a series of stoker boilers burning Pennsylvania anthracite were investigated for their petrographic and chemical characteristics. The coals have low-S and moderate-ash contents with similar major oxide and minor element compositions. The volatile minor elements, such as Zn and As, decrease in concentration from the feed coal to the stoker ash (comparisons on the ash basis). The light rare earth elements (La through Sm) decrease in concentration relative to the heavy rare earth elements (Eu through Lu) from the coal ash to the stoker ash.

Composition of mineral elements in the yield of one-species sows of perennial grasses and their mixtures

Currently, one of the least expensive options for renewing eroded soils is the sowing of grasses for the production of cheap quality fodder adapted with updated soil and climatic conditions. Analysis presented in the paper shows that one of the main conditions for balanced feeding of cows is to provide sufficient level of mineral elements with feeds. This guarantees not only high productivity and quality, but also effective use of meadow grass stands. On the basis of the studies carried out, it is determined that a sufficient number of mineral elements are present in the feed on the variants of the experiment, where a mixture of Medicago sativa alfalfa crop, Lotus corniculatus lyadvenets Horned was sown. It has been established that leguminous grasses with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer positively influence some indicators of the composition of mineral elements in the forage of one-species perennial crops and their mixtures. The grass-legume mixture contained the following herbs: Medicago sativa alfalfa crop, Lotus corniculatus lyadvenets Horned, Bromus rump beardless inermis, and Lolium multiflorum with the fertilizer N60P60K90. The mineral content of the fertilizer provides the grass-legume mixture with enough phosphorus (0.43%), potassium (2.70%), calcium (0.39%), magnesium (0.20%) and sodium (0.13%)

Effect of Boswellia serrata Resin Supplementation on Basic Chemical and Mineral Element Composition in the Muscles and Liver of Broiler Chickens

Supplementation of broiler chicken diets with resin rich in bioactive components, such as different boswellic acids, could improve productivity, chemical composition, and nutritive value of produced meat. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of different levels of Boswellia serrata (BSR) supplementation in broiler chicken diet on the basic chemical composition and the Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu contents in the breast and drumstick muscles and liver. The analyses involved 200 Ross 308 chickens. The broiler chickens were fed with diets containing 0 (BSR0), 1.5 (BSR1.5), 2 (BSR2), and 2.5% (BSR2.5) of B. serrata resin. The supplementation of broiler chicken diets with 2.5% (BSR2.5) decreased linearly the ether extract in breast and drumstick muscles and the calorific value in drumstick muscles (P < 0.05). An increased level of Ca in the breast and drumstick muscles (control vs. BSR diets, linear, P < 0.05) and in the liver (control vs. BSR diets, quadratic, P < 0.05) as well as Mg in the drumstick muscles and liver (control vs. BSR diets, linear, P < 0.05) was noted in the BSR2 and BSR2.5 chicken groups. The BSR supplementation reduced Cu (in the breast and drumstick muscles and liver) (P < 0.05) and Zn retention (in the drumstick muscles) (C vs. BSR, linear, P < 0.05). B. serrata resin can be considered a good feed additive with a positive impact on the dietary value of poultry meat.

A Last Interglacial record of environmental changes from the Sulmona Basin (central Italy)

Here we present a multiproxy record (δ13C, δ18O, major and minor element composition, mineralogy, and low-resolution biogenic silica content) from a lacustrine succession in the Sulmona Basin, central Italy. Based on previous tephrochronological constraints and a new 40Ar/39Ar dating of a tephra matching the widespread X-6 tephra, the record spans the ca. 129–92ka period and documents at sub-orbital scale the climatic and environmental changes over the Last Interglacial and its transition to the Last Glacial period. The δ18O composition is interpreted as a proxy for the amount and seasonality of local precipitation, whereas variations in elemental and mineralogical composition are inferred to reflect climatic-driven changes in clastic sediment input. The observed variations are consistent among the different proxies, and indicate that periods of reduced precipitation were marked by enhanced catchment erosion, probably due to a reduction in vegetation cover. The first part of the Last Interglacial shows the most negative δ18O values. Comparison with pollen records from the Mediterranean suggests a greater seasonality of the precipitation at this time. At millennial-to-centennial time scales, comparison of the Sulmona record with speleothem δ18O records from central Italy highlights a highly coherent pattern of hydrological evolution, with enhanced variability and similar events of reduced precipitation consistently recorded by each isotope record. The observed intra-interglacial variability can potentially be linked, within the uncertainties associated with each age model, to similar variations observed in sea-surface temperature records from the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, suggesting a link between Mediterranean hydrology and North Atlantic temperature and circulation patterns that persists during periods of low ice volume.

Glass geochemistry of pyroclastic deposits from the Aeolian Islands in the last 50 ka: A proximal database for tephrochronology

Volcanic ash (<2mm) erupted from the Aeolian Islands is reported distally as layers in sedimentary archives from across the central Mediterranean region. Here we present volcanic glass geochemistry of proximal tephra deposits from explosive eruptions on the islands of Vulcano, Lipari, Salina and Stromboli spanning approximately the last 50ka using grain-specific EMPA and LA-ICP-MS. This comprehensive database of volcanic glass compositions (>1000 analyses) provides a basis for proximal-distal and distal-distal tephra correlations. Tephra deposits from the different Aeolian Islands are geochemically diverse; with some individual eruptions showing diagnostic geochemical heterogeneity recognised both stratigraphically and/or spatially. Major element glass analyses reveal that Vulcano (0–21ka) and Stromboli (4–13ka) have erupted potassic (shoshonitic and K-series) tephra with broadly overlapping compositions, but data presented here demonstrates that their eruptive products can be distinguished using either TiO2 contents or their HFSE/Th ratios. Whilst individual volcanic sources often produce successive tephra deposits with near identical major and minor element compositions through time (i.e., Lipari, Vulcano), trace element glass data can help to decipher successive eruptions. Changes in LREE and Th concentrations of volcanic glasses erupted spanning approximately the last 50ka greatly enhance the potential to discriminate successive eruptive units on Lipari. The new proximal glass database has been used to verify new (Ionian Sea; core M25/4-12) and existing distal occurrences of Aeolian Island derived tephra enabling the reassessments of past ash dispersals. Finally, proximal and distal data have been used to establish an integrated proximal-distal eruptive event stratigraphy for the Aeolian Islands.

Precious metal enrichment at low-redox in terrestrial native Fe-bearing basalts investigated using laser-ablation ICP-MS

Primary native Fe is a rare crystallizing phase from terrestrial basaltic magmas, requiring highly reducing conditions (fO2 <iron-wüstite buffer) in order to form. Reducing conditions in basaltic magmas can be achieved through assimilation of carbonaceous crustal material, which leads to formation of an immiscible, molten, C-rich, native Fe alloy liquid. If this liquid also contains sufficient sulfur, it can undergo further division into conjugate Fe–C-rich and a Fe–S-rich immiscible melts that can effectively scavenge the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Re, Au, and the platinum group elements [PGE], Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os), as well as Ni and Cu, to economic abundances. Three localities are known globally where native Fe bearing mafic rocks occur: (1) Paleocene basalts of Disko Island, West Greenland; (2) a Miocene lava of the Bühl basalts, Germany; and (3) mafic intrusions associated with the Late Permian Siberian flood basalts. In this contribution, we report major- and minor-element compositions and HSE concentrations for the main alloy phases (FeNi metal and cohenite) and sulfide, for all three known global occurrences of native Fe bearing basalt. Total HSE abundances in metal grains, obtained by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), are lowest in the Bühl basalt, (∼0.05ppm), intermediate in the Disko Island basalts (4–8ppm), and highest the Siberian Khungtukun and Dzhaltul intrusions (10–30ppm). These differences demonstrate that, while native Fe formation is the result of carbonaceous crustal assimilation, HSE enrichment is not ubiquitous during this process. The Siberian occurrences are characterized by Pt PGE (PPGE: Pt, Pd) enrichment relative to the Ir PGE (IPGE: Rh, Ru, Ir, Os), consistent with models of early stage fractionation of olivine, chromite and metallic IPGE in staging magma reservoirs, prior to the addition of C-rich crustal materials in the shallow crust. Relative to Noril’sk Ni–Cu-PGE sulfide ores, the Siberian native Fe basalts are enriched in the PPGE relative to the IPGE, but exhibit Ru enrichments. In contrast, Disko Island native Fe rocks do not show significant fractionation of the PPGE from the IPGE, but have positive Re and Ru anomalies and high Os/Ir ratios. To reconcile these observations, we present a general model where some parental melts experienced early-stage crustal assimilation in staging magma reservoirs, prior to reduction by carbon-rich materials (e.g., Khungtukun, Dzhaltul), whereas basaltic parental melts to Disko Island and Bühl solely experienced interaction with carbonaceous material, resulting in extensive devolatilization, native Fe segregation, and native Fe formation.