ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: The Palaeoproterozoic era (2500–1600 Ma) was a critical period of Earth history, with dynamic evolution from the deep planetary interior to its surface environment. Several lines of geological evidence suggest the existence of at least one pre-Rodinia supercontinent, named Nuna or Columbia, which formed near the end of Palaeoproterozoic time. Prior to this assembly, there may have been an older supercontinent (Kenorland) or perhaps only independently drifting supercratons. The tectonic records of amalgamation and dispersal of these ancient landmasses provide a framework that links processes of the deep Earth with those of its fluid envelope. The sixteen papers in this volume present reviews and new analytical data that span the geological record of Palaeoproterozoic Earth and provide a current picture of Palaeoproterozoic research. The volume provides a useful reference book for students and professional geoscientists interested in this important period of global evolution.

Description / Table of Contents: After previous meetings in Zuerich in 1959 and in Copenhagen in 1960, the Third General Meeting of the International Mineralogical Association was held in Washington, D. C., April 17-20, 1962, sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America, and supported financially by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation. The scientific program was arranged by D. Jerome Fisher, A. J. Frueh, Jr., and C. E. Tilley, and the sessions were held at the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. The chairmen for each of the three sessions were C. E. Tilley, Symposium on Layered Intrusions (April 18), C. S. Hurlbut, Jr., General Session (April 19), and A. J. Frueh, Jr., Symposium on the Mineralogy of the Sulfides (April 20). These three gentlemen also served as editors of the papers of their sessions. The publication of the papers and proceedings of the Third General Meeting has been made possible by the financial support of the National Science Foundation and is here gratefully acknowledged. The Association is also appreciative of the work of E. Wm. Heinrich, Editor of the American Mineralogist, who served as Co-ordinating Editor of this volume, and of Marjorie Hooker, Treasurer of the Mineralogical Society of America, who administered the National Science Foundation grants in support of the meeting and of this publication.

Description / Table of Contents: Restraining and releasing bends are common, but enigmatic features of strike-slip fault systems occurring in all crustal environments and at regional to microscopic scales of observation. Regional-scale restraining bends are sites of mountain building, transpressional deformation and basement exhumation, whereas releasing bends are sites of topographic subsidence, transtensional deformation, basin sedimentation and possible volcanism and economic mineralization. Because restraining and releasing bends often occur as singular self-contained domains of complex deformation, they are appealing natural laboratories for Earth scientists to study fault processes, earthquake seismology, active faulting and sedimentation, fault and fluid-flow relationships, links between tectonics and topography, tectonic and erosional controls on exhumation, and tectonic geomorphology. This volume addresses the tectonic complexity and diversity of strike-slip restraining and releasing bends with 18 contributions divided into four thematic sections: (1) a topical review of fault bends and their global distribution; (2) bends, sedimentary basins and earthquake hazards; (3) restraining bends, transpressional deformation and basement controls on development; (4) releasing bends, transtensional deformation and fluid flow.

Description / Table of Contents: The many kinds of porous geomaterials (rocks, soils, concrete, etc.) exhibit a range of responses when undergoing inelastic deformation. In doing so they commonly develop well-ordered fabric elements, forming fractures, shear bands and compaction bands, so creating the planar fabrics that are regarded as localization. Because these induced localization fabrics alter the bulk material properties (such as permeability, acoustic characteristics and strength), it is important to understand how and why localization occurs, and how it relates to its setting. The concept of damage (in several uses) describes both the precursor to localization and the context within which it occurs. A key theme is that geomaterials display a strong material evolution during deformation, revealing a close linkage between the damage and localization processes. This volume assembles perspectives from a number of disciplines, including soil mechanics, rock mechanics, structural geology, seismic anisotropy and reservoir engineering. The papers range from theoretical to observational, and include contributions showing how the deformed geomaterials emergent bulk characteristics, like permeability and seismic anisotropy, can be predicted. This book will be of interest to a wide range of geoscientists and engineers who deal with characterization of deformed materials.

Description / Table of Contents: The Eastern Mediterranean region is a classic area for the study of tectonic processes and settings related to the development of the Tethyan orogenic belt. The present set of research and synthesis papers by Earth scientist from countries in this region and others provides an up-to-date, interdisciplinary overview of the tectonic development of the Eastern Mediterrenean region from Precambrian to Recent. Key topics include continental rifting, ophiolite genesis and emplacement, continental collision, extensional tectonics, crustal exhumation and intraplate deformation (e.g. active faulting). Alternative tectonic reconstructions of the Tethyan orogen are presented and discussed, with important implications for other regions of the world. The book will be an essential source of information and interpretation for academic researchers (geologists and geophysicists), advanced undergraduates and also for industry professionals, including those concerned with hydrocarbons, minerals and geological hazards (e.g. earthquakes).

Description / Table of Contents: Minerals are intrinsically resistant to the processes that homogenize silicate liquids—their compositions thus yield an archive of volcanic and magmatic processes that are invisible at the whole rock scale. New experiments, and recent advances in micro-analytical techniques open a new realm of detail regarding the mineralogical record; this volume summarizes some of this progress. The alliance of the sub-fields reviewed in this volume bear upon fundamental issues of volcanology: At what depths are eruptions triggered, and over what time scales? Where and why do magmas coalesce before ascent? If magmas stagnate for thousands of years, what forces are responsible for initiating final ascent, or the degassing processes that accelerate upward motion? To the extent that we can answer these questions, we move towards formulating tests of mechanistic models of volcanic eruptions (e.g., Wilson, 1980; Slezin, 2003; Scandone et al., 2007), and hypotheses of the tectonic controls on magma transport (e.g., ten Brink and Brocher, 1987; Takada, 1994; Putirka and Busby, 2007). Our goal, in part, is to review how minerals can be used to understand volcanic systems and the processes that shape them; we also hope that this work will spur new and integrated studies of volcanic systems. Our review begins by tracing the origins of mineral grains, and methods to estimate pressures (P) and temperatures (T) of crystallization. Hammer shows how "dynamic" experiments (conducted with varying P or T) yield important insights into crystal growth. Chapters by Putirka, Anderson, and Blundy and Cashman review various igneous geothermometers and geobarometers and introduce new calibrations. Among these chapters are many familiar models involving olivine, amphibole, feldspar, pyroxene, and spinel. Blundy and Cashman introduce new methods based on phase equilibria, and in another chapter, Hansteen and Klügel review P estimation based on densities of entrapped fluids and appropriate equations of state. Rutherford's chapter returns to the issue of disequilibrium, with a review of methods to estimate magma ascent rates, and a summary of results. Our volume then moves to a review of melt inclusions. Kent shows how pre-mixed magma compositions can be preserved as inclusions, providing a window into pre-eruptive conditions. Métrich and Wallace review the volatile contents in basaltic melt inclusions and "magma degassing paths". Such methods rely upon vapor saturation pressures, which are derived from experimentally calibrated models. Chapters by Moore and Blundy and Cashman test two of the most important models, by Newman and Lowenstern (2002) (VolatileCalc) and Papale et al. (2006). Moore provides a guide to the appropriate use of these models, and their respective errors. The next four chapters document insights obtained from isotopic studies and diffusion profiles. Ramos and Tepley review developments of micro-analytical isotope measurements, which now have the potential to elucidate even the most cryptic of open system behaviors. Cooper and Reid examine the time scales for such processes through U-series age dating techniques, and Bindeman reviews oxygen isotopes and their uses as tracers of both magmas and crystals. Costa then reviews yet another means to estimate the rates of magmatic processes, using mineral diffusion profiles, with important implications for magma processing. In the next two chapters, Streck reviews an array of imaging methods and mineral textures, and their potential for disentangling mixed magmas, and Armienti takes a new look at the analysis of crystal size distributions (CSD), with applications to Mt. Etna. Our volume concludes with a chapter by Bachmann and Bergantz summarizing compositional zonations and a review of the thermal and compositional forces that drive open system behavior. Finally, descriptions of many of the most common analytical approaches are also reviewed within these chapters. Analytical topics include: secondary ion mass spectrometry (Blundy and Cashman; Kent); electron microprobe (Blundy and Cashman; Kent; Métrich and Wallace; laser ablation ICP-MS (Kent; Ramos and Tepley); Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Moore; Métrich and Wallace); microsampling and isotope mass spectrometry (Ramos and Tepley); U-series measurement techniques (Cooper and Reid); Nomarski differential interference contrasts (Streck); micro-Raman spectroscopy (Métrich and Wallace); back-scattered electron microscopy, and cathodoluminescence (Blundy and Cashman). As noted, our hope is that integrated studies can bring us closer to understanding how volcanic systems evolve and why eruptions occur. Our primary goal is to review how minerals can be used to understand volcanic systems; we also hope that this review might spur new and integrated studies of volcanic systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Underground gas storage: An introduction and UK perspective / D. J. Evans and R. A. Chadwick / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 1-11, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.1 --- The importance of gas storage to the UK: The DECC perspective / J. Havard and R. French / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 13-15, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.2 --- Gas storage: An onshore operator's perspective / A. Fernando and A. Raman / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 17-24, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.3 --- Underground gas storage: Why and how / Hans Plaat / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 25-37, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.4 --- A review of onshore UK salt deposits and their potential for underground gas storage / D. J. Evans and S. Holloway / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 39-80, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.5 --- Environmental and safety monitoring of the natural gas underground storage at Stenlille, Denmark / T. Laier and H. Øbro / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 81-92, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.6 --- Design of salt caverns for the storage of natural gas, crude oil and compressed air: Geomechanical aspects of construction, operation and abandonment / K.-H. Lux / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 93-128, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.7 --- New procedure for tightness tests (MIT) of salt cavern storage wells: Continuous high accuracy determination of relevant parameters, without the need to use radioactive tools / Hartmut Von Tryller, Andreas Reitze and Fritz Crotogino / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 129-137, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.8 --- Environmental issues in permitting gas storage: The Wild Goose case history / Laurie McClenahan Hietter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 139-148, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.9 --- Underground gas storage project at Welton oilfield, Lincolnshire: Local perspectives and responses to planning, environmental and community safety issues / Meg Davidson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 149-161, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.10 --- Well integrity: An overlooked source of risk and liability for underground natural gas storage. Lessons learned from incidents in the USA / Brent Miyazaki / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 163-172, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.11 --- A review of underground fuel storage events and putting risk into perspective with other areas of the energy supply chain / D. J. Evans / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 173-216, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.12 --- Underground hydrogen storage in the UK / Howard B. J. Stone, Ivo Veldhuis and R. Neil Richardson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 217-226, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.13 --- Subsurface characterization and geological monitoring of the CO2 injection operation at Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada / James B. Riding and Christopher A. Rochelle / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 227-256, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.14 --- Review of monitoring issues and technologies associated with the long-term underground storage of carbon dioxide / R. A. Chadwick, R. Arts, M. Bentham, O. Eiken, S. Holloway, G. A. Kirby, J. M. Pearce, J. P. Williamson and P. Zweigel / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 313, 257-275, 26 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP313.15

Description / Table of Contents: In the Earth sciences, the concept of fractals and scale invariance is well recognized in many natural objects. However, the use of fractals for spatial and temporal analyses of natural hazards has been less used (and accepted) in the Earth sciences. This book brings together 12 contributions that emphasize the role of fractal analyses in natural hazard research, including andslides, wildfires, floods, catastrophic rock fractures and earthquakes. A wide variety of spatial and temporal fractal-related approaches and techniques are applied to ‘natural’ data, experimental data and computer simulations. These approaches include probabilistic hazard analysis, cellular-automata models, spatial analyses, temporal variability, prediction and self-organizing behaviour. The main aims of this volume are (a) to present current research on fractal analyses as applied to natural hazards and (b) to stimulate the curiosity of advanced Earth science students and researchers in the use of fractals analyses for the better understanding of natural hazards.

Description / Table of Contents: This collection of 27 review and research papers provides an overview of the geodynamic concepts of channel flow and ductile extrusion in continental collision zones. The focal point tor this volume is the proposal that the middle or lower crust acts as a ductile, partially molten channel flowing out from beneath areas of over-thickened crust, such as the Tibetan plateau, towards the topographic surface at plateau margins. This controversial proposal explains many features related to the geodynamic evolution of the plateau and, for example, extrusion and exhumation of the crystalline core of the Himalayan mountain chain to the south. In this volume thermal-mechanical models for channel flow, extrusion and exhumation are presented, and geological and geophysical evidence both for and against the applicability of such models to the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau system, as well as older continental collision zones such as the Hellenides, the Appalachians and the Canadian Cordillera, are discussed.

Description / Table of Contents: High-latitude settings are sensitive to climatically driven palaeoenvironmental change and the resultant biotic response. Climate change through the peak interval of Cretaceous warmth, Late Cretaceous cooling, onset and expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet, and subsequently the variability of Neogene glaciation, are all recorded within the sedimentary and volcanic successions exposed within the James Ross Basin, Antarctica. This site provides the longest onshore record of Cretaceous-Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks in Antarctica and is a key reference section for Cretaceous-Tertiary global change. The sedimentary succession is richly fossiliferous, yielding diverse invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossil assemblages, allowing the reconstruction of both terrestrial and marine systems. The papers within this volume provide an overview of recent advances in the understanding of palaeoenvironmental change spanning the mid-Cretaceous to the Neogene of the James Ross Basin and related biotic change, and will be of interest to many working on Cretaceous and Tertiary palaeoenvironmental change.