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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Influence of CO2 on melting of model granulite facies assemblages - A model for the genesis of charnockites

It is shown that partial melting studies at crustal pressures in SiO2-rich portions of the system KAlSiO4-Mg2SiO2-H2O-CO2 can be used in modeling the anatectic origin of charnockites. The univariant reaction phlogopite + sanidine + quartz + vapor = enstatite + liquid yields an SiO2-rich melt (granite analog) at 3 kbar; the vapor composition at the solidus is buffered to high H2O contents by virtue of the coexistence of phlogopite with its breakdown products. With higher pressures (8 and 15 kbar), the fluid phase is buffered to higher CO2 contents and the melt composition becomes enriched in K2O and MgO (charnockite analog). Melting relations are controlled through the expansion of the quartz liquidus field relative to the enstatite and sanidine fields with increasing pressure. It is noted that partial melts generated at the base of the crust in the presence of CO2-rich fluid will be of an alkaline nature and will crystallize enstatite at lower pressures. CO2-saturated melting of similar SiO2-rich bulk compositions (phlogopite-absent) through the reaction enstatite + sanidine + quartz + CO2 - liquid occurs at temperatures above 1000 C to about 15 kbar.

Wendlandt, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Identification of a precambrian rift through Missouri by digital image processing of geophysical and geological data

A newly discovered feature in the midcontinent - a gravity low that begins at a break in the midcontinent gravity high in SE Nebraska, extends across Missouri in a NW-SE direction, and intersects the Mississippi Valley graben to form the Pascola arch - is discussed. The anomaly varies from 120 to 160 km in width, extends approximately 700 km, and is best expressed in southern Missouri, where it has a Bouguer amplitude of about -34 mGal. It is noted that the magnitude of the anomaly cannot be explained on the basis of a thickened section of Paleozoic sedimentary rock. The gravity data and the sparse seismic refraction data for the region are found to be consistent with an increased crustal thickness beneath the gravity low. It is thought that the gravity anomaly is probably the present expression of a failed arm of a rifting event, perhaps one associated with the spreading that led to or preceded formation of the granite and rhyolite terrain of southern Missouri.

Guinness, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

KREEP glass and the exotic provenance and formation of polymict breccia 66055

The Apollo 16 site polymict breccia 66055 contains abundant brown KREEP glass, as well as related brown glassy breccias having fluid forms. Most of the rock is composed of clasts of poikiloblastic breccia and mesostasis-rich impact melt which predate 66055's assembly, while the KREEP glass was created in the rock-producing impact. KREEP compositions are not common at the Apollo 16 site, leading to the speculation that 66055 originated in terrains to the west of the landing site. The presence of a granitic glass fragment that is embedded in the KREEP glass suggests that it is igneous, with a local volcanic origin which is more consistent with spatial relationships deduced from orbital geochemical data than with a basin ejecta deposit origin.

Ryder, G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The Apollo 14 regolith - Petrology of cores 14210/14211 and 14220 and soils 14141, 14148, and 14149

New modal data are presented for continuous polished thin sections from double drive tube 14210/14211, and single drive tube 14220, and for polished grain mounts of four soils from the double drive tube, one from the single drive tube, and the soils 14148 (trench top), 14149 (trench bottom), and 14141 (Cone Crater). Modal data show that the Cone Crater soil is immature, whereas the 'smooth plains' soils are mature and rich in agglutinates and breccias. Neither core exhibits any major variations with depth. Microprobe analyses of mineral and glass fragments are consistent with derivation of the soils predominantly from the local rocks, with about 5-11% exotic mare component indicated by the modal data. About 4% of the glasses are SiO2- and K2O-rich granitic glasses which are comminuted mesostasis from the local melt rocks. The soils are depleted in feldspar relative to the source rocks. The preferred explanation for this depletion is that feldspar is concentrated in the less than 10 microns fines and is consumed in the formation of agglutinates, regolith breccias, and feldspathic glass.

Simon, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The magma ocean from the Fra Mauro shoreline - An overview of the Apollo 14 crust

Petrographic and mineralogical studies of coarse grained, polymineralic, texturally monominct igneous clasts from the Apollo 14 breccias show troctolite and troctolitic anorthosite to be the most abundant rock types. The second most abundant group consists of plagioclase cumulates with more evolved mineral compositions than the Mg-rich trend anorthosite cumulates. Coarse grained ilmenite gabbros and mineralogically evolved monzonoritic and granitic clasts are widespread in occurrence, but not abundant. The present data provide further support for widespread regional heterogeneities within the early lunar crust.

Hunter, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

An ancient depleted mantle source for Archean crust in Rajasthan, India

Data from an initial set of Banded Gneiss Complex (BGC) east of the city of Udaipur are given. In this region the BGC comprises typical grey gneiss with variably abundant granitic and mafic components. Efforts to date were concentrated on the mafic components which, based on chemical data, appear to be metavolcanic. All samples examined were recrystallized under amphibolite or upper amphibolite facies conditions. Pertinent chemical data for a small number of amphibolites analyzed so far are: SiO2: 49-53%; MgO: 5.7-7.3%; K2O: 0.24-0.50%; Ni: 106-140 ppm; Zr: 37-159 ppm. From Sm/Nd data, all amphibolites show small to moderate LREE enrichments.

Macdougall, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Clastic sedimentary rocks of the Michipicoten Volcanic-sedimentary belt, Wawa, Ontario

The Wawa area, part of the Michipicoten greenstone belt, contains rock assemblages representative of volcanic sedimentary accumulations elsewhere on the shield. Three mafic to felsic metavolcanic sequences and cogenetic granitic rocks range in age from 2749 + or - 2Ma to 2696 + or - 2Ma. Metasedimentary rocks occur between the metavolcanic sequences. The total thickness of the supracrustal rocks may be 10,000 m. Most rocks have been metamorphosed under greenschist conditions. The belt has been studied earlier and is currently being remapped by Sage. The sedimentrologic work has been briefly summarized; two mainfacies associations of clastic sedimentary rocks are present - a Resedimented (Turbidite) Facies Association and a Nonmarine (Alluvial Fan Fluvial) Facies Association.

Ojakangas, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The Archean crust in the Wawa-Chapleau-Timmins region. A field guidebook prepared for the 1983 Archean Geochemistry-Early Crustal Genesis Field Conference

This guidebook describes the characteristics and interrelationships of Archean greenstone-granite and high-grade gneiss terrains of the Superior Province. A 300-km long west to east transect between Wawa and Timmins, Ontario will be used to illustrate regional-scale relationships. The major geological features of the Superior Province are described.

Percival, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Characterization of LANDSAT-4 TM and MSS Image Quality for Interpretation of Agricultural and Forest Resources

Systematic analysis of both image and numeric data shows that the overall spectral, spatial, and radiometric quality of the TM data are excellent. Spectral variations in fallow fields are due to the vaiability in soil moisture and surface roughness resulting from the various stages of field preparation for small grains production. Spectrally, the addition of the first TM short wave infrared band (Band 5) significantly enhanced ability to discriminate different crop types. Bands 1, 5, and 6 contain saturated pixels due to high albedo effects, low moisture conditions, and high radiant temperatures of granite and dry, bare soil on south facing slopes, respectively. Spatially, the two fold decrease in interpixel distance and four fold decrease in area per pixel between the TM and MSS allow for improved discrimination of small fields, boundary conditions, road and stream networks in rough terrain, and small forest clearings resulting from various forest management practices.

Degloria, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Digital image processing applied to analysis of geophysical and geochemical data for southern Missouri

Digital image-processing techniques have been used to analyze a variety of geophysical and geochemical map data covering southern Missouri, a region with important basement and strata-bound mineral deposits. Gravity and magnetic anomaly patterns, which have been reformatted to image displays, indicate a deep crustal structure cutting northwest-southeast through southern Missouri. In addition, geologic map data, topography, and Landsat multispectral scanner images have been used as base maps for the digital overlay of aerial gamma-ray and stream sediment chemical data for the 1 x 2-deg Rolla quadrangle. Results indicate enrichment of a variety of elements within the clay-rich alluvium covering many of the interfluvial plains, as well as a complicated pattern of enrichment for the sedimentary units close to the Precambrian rhyolites and granites of the St. Francois Mountains.

Guinness, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Eruption age of an approximately 100,000-year-old basalt from Ar-40/Ar-39 analysis of partially degassed xenoliths

Eleven samples from five partially degassed Mesozoic granitic xenoliths and two late Pleistocene host basalt samples from Sawmill Canyon in Sierra Nevada, California, have been analyzed using stepwise Ar-40/Ar-39 dating techniques. The petrography and analytic techniques are described and the results are presented. Isotopic compositions of Ar released from the xenoliths in several extraction steps at temperatures below about 900 C were colinear in Ar-36/Ar-40 versus Ar-39/Ar-40 diagrams and defined isochrons, giving a mean age of degassing of 119,000 + or - 7000 yr. Ar-40 extracted at higher temperatures included ancient radiogenic Ar-40 that never diffused from the xenoliths during immersion in the magma. This Ar-40 caused an increase in the apparent age for the high-temperature extractions. The high precision of the eruption age determined by this method is comparable to that obtained elsewhere by conventional K/Ar dating of sanidine.

Gillespie, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Applicability of La-Ce systematics to planetary samples

Cesium isotopic compositions in several terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials were determined in order to investigate the applicability of using Ce as an isotropic tracer to geological processes. A tenuous anticorrelation was observed between (epsilon)Ce and (epsilon)Nd for terrestrial basalts and granites, indicating that with some improvement in analytical techniques the Ce isotopic composition may prove useful as tracer for geological processes. A very low (epsilon)Ce predicted from the Ce anomaly in the REE pattern of the Kholar L3 chondrite was not observed, indicating that the anomaly may be caused by terrestrial contamination or alteration.

Nakamura, N.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Calderas - A planetary perspective

It is pointed out that volcanoes are morphological expressions of magma composition, eruption processes, and regional tectonics. Thus, the lack of unambiguous silicic volcanoes and pyroclastic flows on Mars implies that compared to earth, its crust is deficient in volatiles and/or the planet lacks a thick granitic crust. Such deductions are examples of comparative planetology, in which knowledge of landforms and processes on one planet are utilized to interpret features and histories on others. In the present study calderas are considered in a comparative planetology context to provide perspective for students who investigate only terrestrial calderas and to search for broadscale relationships between calderas and planetary characteristics. Attention is given to terrestrial calderas, lunar calderas, Martian calderas, calderas on Jupiter's satellite Io, and calderas on Venus. A planetary definition of calderas is proposed.

Wood, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Bouguer Images of the North American Craton

Processing of existing gravity and aeromagnetic data with modern methods is providing new insights into crustal and mantle structures for large parts of the United States and Canada. More than three-quarters of a million ground station readings of gravity are now available for this region. These data offer a wealth of information on crustal and mantle structures when reduced and displayed as Bouguer anomalies, where lateral variations are controlled by the size, shape and densities of underlying materials. Digital image processing techniques were used to generate Bouguer images that display more of the granularity inherent in the data as compared with existing contour maps. A dominant NW-SE linear trend of highs and lows can be seen extending from South Dakota, through Nebaska, and into Missouri. This trend is probably related to features created during an early and perhaps initial episode of crustal assembly by collisional processes. The younger granitic materials are probably a thin cover over an older crust.

Arvidson, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The south-central United States magnetic anomaly

A positive magnetic anomaly, which dominates the MAGSAT scalar field over the south-central United States, results from the superposition of magnetic effects from several geologic sources and tectonic structures in the crust. The highly magnetic basement rocks of this region show good correlation with increased crustal thickness, above average crustal velocity and predominantly negative free-air gravity anomalies, all of which are useful constraints for modeling the magnetic sources. The positive anomaly is composed of two primary elements. The western-most segment is related to middle Proterozoic granite intrusions, rhyolite flows and interspersed metamorphic basement rocks in the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico. The anomaly and the magnetic crust are bounded to the west by the north-south striking Rio Grande Rift. The anomaly extends eastward over the Grenville age basement rocks of central Texas, and is terminated to the south and east by the buried extension of the Ouachita System. The northern segment of the anomaly extends eastward across Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi Embayment. It corresponds to a general positive magnetic region associated with the Wichita Mountains igneous complex in south-central Oklahoma and 1.2 to 1.5 Ga. felsic terrane to the north.

Starich, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Subcritical Fracture Propagation in Rocks: an Examination Using the Methods of Fracture Mechanics and Non-Destructive Testing

An experimental investigation of tensile rock fracture is presented with an emphasis on characterizing time dependent crack growth using the methods of fracture mechanics. Subcritical fracture experiments were performed in moist air on glass and five different rock types at crack velocities using the double torsion technique. The experimental results suggest that subcritical fracture resistance in polycrystals is dominated by microstructural effects. Evidence for gross violations of the assumptions of linear elastic fracture mechanics and double torsion theory was found in the tests on rocks. In an effort to obtain a better understanding of the physical breakdown processes associated with rock fracture, a series of nondestructive evaluation tests were performed during subcritical fracture experiments on glass and granite. Comparison of the observed process zone shape with that expected on the basis of a critical normal principal tensile stress criterion shows that the zone is much more elongated in the crack propagation direction than predicted by the continuum based microcracking model alone.

Swanson, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Is the Ventersdorp rift system of southern Africa related to a continental collision between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe Cratons at 2.64 Ga AGO?

Rocks of the Ventersdorp Supergroup were deposited in a system of northeast trending grabens on the Kaapvaal Craton approximately 2.64 Ga ago contemporary with a continental collision between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe Cratons. It is suggested that it was this collision that initiated the Ventersdorp rifting. Individual grabens strike at high angles toward the continental collision zone now exposed in the Limpopo Province where late orogenic left-lateral strike-slip faulting and anatectic granites are recognized. The Ventersdorp rift province is related to extension in the Kaapvaal Craton associated with the collision, and some analogy is seen with such rifts as the Shansi and Baikal Systems associated with the current India-Asia continental collision.

Burke, K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Correlations and contrasts in structural history and style between an Archaean greenstone belt and adjacent gneiss belt, NE Minnesota

An analysis of the deformation along the boundary between the Vermilion Granitic Complex (VGC) and the Vermilion district indicates that the two terranes have seen a similar deformation history since the earliest stages of folding in the area. Despite this common history, variations in structural style occur between the two terranes, such as the relative development of D sub 1 fabrics and D sub 2 shear zones, and these can be attributed to differences in the crustal levels of the two terranes during the deformation. Similarly, the local development of F sub 3 folds in the VGC, but not in the Vermilion district, is interpreted to be a result of later-D sub 2 pluton emplacement which was not significant at the level of exposure of ther Vermilion district.

Bauer, R. L.↗