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The SW Pacific region consists of a succession of ridges and basins that were created by the fragmentation of Gondwana and the evolution of subduction zones since Mesozoic times. This complex geodynamic evolution shaped the geology of New Caledonia, which lies in the northern part of the Zealandia continent. Alternative tectonic models have been postulated. Most models agree that New Caledonia was situated on an active plate margin of eastern Gondwana during the Mesozoic. Extension affected the region from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene and models for this period vary in the location and nature of the plate boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates. Eocene regional tectonic contraction included the obduction of a mantle-derived Peridotite Nappe in New Caledonia. In one class of model, this contractional phase was controlled by an east-dipping subduction zone into which the Norfolk Ridge jammed, whereas and in a second class of model this phase corresponds to the initiation of the west-dipping Tonga–Kermadec subduction zone. Neogene tectonics of the region near New Caledonia was dominated by the eastwards retreat of Tonga–Kermadec subduction, leading to the opening of a back-arc basin east of New Caledonia, and the initiation and southwestwards advance of the New Hebrides–Vanuatu subduction zone towards New Caledonia.

International audience; Voluntariness stands for one of the four pillars of ethics in blood donation; it is, however, more related to tradition than to legislation. Because it seems necessary to apply "marketing" techniques to blood collection in order to meet the needs in blood components, both in terms of quantity and quality, one wonders if this may be at the expense of this principle of voluntariness. This seminar-belonging actually to a series of seminars in Ethics in Transfusion Medicine-aimed at questioning the possible weakness of voluntariness in the field of blood donation. To achieve this goal, specialists of numerous disciplines in medical sciences, law and humanities gathered to discuss all related issues to voluntariness in blood donation.

The terrestrial hyperalkaline springs of the Prony bay (southern lagoon, New Caledonia) have been known since the XIXth century, but a recent high resolution bathymetric survey of the seafloor has revealed the existence of numerous submarine structures similar to the well-known Aiguille de Prony, which are also the location of high pH fluid discharge into the lagoon. During the HYDROPRONY cruise (28 October to 13 November 2011) samples of waters, gases and concretions have been collected by scuba divers at underwater vents. Four of these sampling sites are located in the Prony bay at depths up to 50 m. One (Bain des Japonais spring) is also in the Prony Bay but uncovered at low tide and another (Rivière des Kaoris spring) is on land slightly above the seawater level at high tide. We report the chemical composition (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4, Dissolved Inorganic Carbon, SiO2(aq)) of 45 water samples collected at 6 sites of high pH water discharge, as well as the composition of gases. Temperatures reach 37 °C at the Bain des Japonais and 32 °C at the spring of the Kaoris. Gas bubbling was observed only at these two springs. The emitted gases contain between 12 and 30% of hydrogen in volume of dry gas, 6 to 14% of methane, and 56 to 72% of nitrogen, with trace amounts of carbon dioxide, ethane and propane. pH values and salinities of all the 45 collected water samples range from the seawater values (8.2 and 35 g L−1) to hyperalkaline freshwaters of the Ca-OH type (pH 11 and salinities as low as 0.3 g L−1) showing that the collected samples are always a mixture of a hyperalkaline fluid of meteoric origin and ambient seawater. Cl-normalized concentrations of dissolved major elements first show that the Bain des Japonais is distinct from the other sites. Waters collected at this site are three component mixtures involving the high pH fluid, the lagoon seawater and the river water from the nearby Rivière du Carénage. The chemical compositions of the hyperalkaline end members (at pH 11) are not significantly different from one site to the other although the sites are several km away from each other and are located on different ultramafic substrata. The very low salinity of the hyperalkaline end members shows that seawater does not percolate through the ultramafic formation. Mixing of the hyperalkaline hydrothermal end member with local seawater produces large ranges and very sharp gradients of pH, salinity and dissolved element concentrations. There is a major change in the composition of the water samples at a pH around 10, which delimitates the marine environment from the hyperalkaline environment. The redox potential evolves toward negative values at high pH indicative of the reducing conditions due to bubbling of the H2-rich gas. The calculation of the mineral saturation states carried out for the Na-K-Ca-Mg-Cl-SO4-DIC-SiO2-H2O system shows that this change is due to the onset of brucite formation. While the saturation state of the Ca-carbonates over the whole pH range is typical of that found in a normal marine environment, Mg- and Mg-Ca-carbonates (magnesite, hydromagnesite, huntite, dolomite) exhibit very large supersaturations with maximum values at pH around 10, very well marked for the Bain des Japonais, emphasizing the role of water mixing in mineral formation. The discharge of high pH waters of meteoric origin into the lagoon marine environment makes the hydrothermal system of the Prony bay unique compared to other low temperature serpentinizing environments such as Oman (fully continental) or Lost City (fully marine).