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Plume magmatism and continental breakup led to the opening of the northeast Atlantic Ocean during the globally warm early Cenozoic. This warmth culminated in a transient (170 thousand year, kyr) hyperthermal event associated with a large, if poorly constrained, emission of carbon called the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) 56 million years ago (Ma). Methane from hydrothermal vents in the coeval North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) has been proposed as the trigger, though isotopic constraints from deep sea sediments have instead implicated direct volcanic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Here we calculate that background levels of volcanic outgassing from mid-ocean ridges and large igneous provinces yield only one-fifth of the carbon required to trigger the hyperthermal. However, geochemical analyses of volcanic sequences spanning the rift-to-drift phase of the NAIP indicate a sudden ~220 kyr-long intensification of magmatic activity coincident with the PETM. This was likely driven by thinning and enhanced decompression melting of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle, which critically contained a high proportion of carbon-rich metasomatic carbonates. Melting models and coupled tectonic–geochemical simulations indicate that >104 gigatons of subcrustal carbon was mobilized into the ocean and atmosphere sufficiently rapidly to explain the scale and pace of the PETM.

The micronutrient iron (Fe) plays a fundamental role controlling primary productivity in the upper ocean, with volcanic eruptions and deposition of airborne volcanic material (termed tephra) a potential source of Fe. Here, we investigate the geochemical and Fe isotopic (δ 56Fe) composition of tephra layers, sediments, and mixed tephra-sediment samples from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1396C, located offshore the volcanically active island of Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. We find that buried tephras, which have experienced diagenesis, exhibit lighter δ 56Fe (relative to standard IRMM-524a) compositions (down to −0.26 ± 0.04‰, 2SD) than fresh tephra deposited in Montserrat (δ 56Fe = 0.02 ± 0.02‰, 2SD). Such negative values suggest that isotopically heavier Fe has been lost from the originally deposited material. Using multivariate statistical modelling and mass balance constraints, we identify the outward Fe flux (with calculated δ 56Fe of 0.21 ± 0.31‰, 2SD, n = 12) during non-reductive dissolution of tephra as the likely cause of the retention of these light δ 56Fe compositions. Due to the widespread nature of tephra deposition, tephra diagenesis may provide an important source of isotopically heavy dissolved Fe (dFe) to the oceans. This process contrasts with more commonly considered reductive dissolution processes, which provide a source of dFe enriched in light isotopes to the oceans.

The Late Ordovician (~459–444 million years ago) was characterized by global cooling, glaciation and severe mass extinction. These events may have been driven by increased delivery of the nutrient phosphorus (P) to the ocean and associated increases in marine productivity, but it is not clear why this occurred in the two pulses identified in the geological record. We link both cooling phases—and the extinction—to volcanic eruptions through marine deposition of nutrient-rich ash and the weathering of terrestrially emplaced ash and lava. We then reconstruct the influence of Late Ordovician volcanic P delivery on the marine system by coupling an estimate of bioavailable phosphate supply (derived from a depletion and weathering model) to a global biogeochemical model. Our model compares volcanic ash P content in marine sediments before and after alteration to determine depletion factors, and we find good agreement with observed carbon isotope and reconstructed temperature shifts. Hence, massive volcanism can drive substantial global cooling on million-year timescales due to P delivery associated with long-term weathering of volcanic deposits, offsetting the transient warming of greenhouse gas emission associated with volcanic eruptions. Such longer-term cooling and potential for marine eutrophication may be important for other volcanism-driven global events.

Earth’s plate-tectonic activity regulates the carbon cycle and, hence, climate, via volcanic outgassing and silicate-rock weathering. Mountain building, arc–continent collisions and clustering of continents in the tropics have all been invoked as controlling the weathering flux, with arcs also acting as a major contributor of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. However, these processes have largely been considered in isolation when in reality they are all tightly coupled. To properly account for interactions among these processes, and the inherent multi-million-year time lags at play in the Earth system, we need to characterize their complex interdependencies. Here we analyse these interdependencies over the past 400 million years using a Bayesian network to identify primary relationships, time lags and drivers of the global chemical weathering signal. We find that the length of continental volcanic arcs—the fastest-eroding surface features on Earth—exerts the strongest control on global chemical weathering fluxes. We propose that the rapid drawdown of carbon dioxide tied to arc weathering stabilizes surface temperatures over geological time, contrary to the widely held view that this stability is achieved mainly by a delicate balance between weathering of the seafloor and the continental interiors. Earth’s surface temperature is stabilized by the drawdown of CO2 owing to weathering of continental arcs, whose length is shown to be a primary control on global weathering fluxes, according to a probabilistic analysis of interdependencies.

Deciphering the dynamics of sub-volcanic magmatic processes requires a detailed understanding of the compositional and textural relationships between melt and crystals. To examine these relationships, we investigated material from one of the largest caldera-forming explosive eruptions on the ocean island of Tenerife, the 312-ka Fasnia event. This eruption ejected juvenile pyroclasts of melt-bearing, partially crystalline cumulate nodules alongside phonolitic pumice and accidental lithic clasts. Nodules contain an average of 26% melt that is preserved as vesiculated and microcrystalline basanite in segregations, pathways and interstitial domains. Both the microcrystalline groundmass and crystal framework are generally unaltered as this crystal ‘mush’ remained supra-solidus until the eruption. We find no surficial or intrinsic evidence that the nodules were transported from their reservoir in a ‘carrier’ magma, and it is most likely that the mush was in situ when it was explosively fragmented and ejected during eruption. As such, the nodules preserve a record of the proportions and relationships between the crystal framework and pre-eruptive melt in an active magma mush reservoir, importantly, capturing a snapshot of the sub-volcanic system at a single point in time. We have analysed >100 of the mush nodules from the massive lithic breccia facies within the Fasnia Member of the Diego Hernández Formation. These cumulates span a diverse range of alkaline plutonic lithologies, from wehrlite and pyroxenite, through hornblende gabbros, to monzodiorite and syenite. Their textures record a range of crystallization environments, including both crystal- and melt-rich groundmass domains, and invasion of near-solidus domains by ascending reactive melts. In addition, the cumulus phases record complex interactions between felsic and mafic magmas throughout their development, providing evidence for mush remobilization and disequilibrium. Relative homogeneity of melt compositions through the mafic and felsic lithologies testifies to melt mobility through the cumulates. Nevertheless, all melts are of different basanite-intermediate composition to the juvenile phonolitic pumice ejected during the same eruption. This observation implies that the mafic–felsic cumulate mush and the phonolite did not experience significant two-way mixing and existed as separate crustal reservoirs. However, the Fasnia eruption simultaneously fragmented and removed material from both reservoirs, implying the mafic system was subjacent to the felsic, but they did not form a contiguous body.

Pyroclastic deposits of the Holocene Igwisi Hills kimberlite volcanoes, Tanzania, preserve unequivocal evidence for rapid, syn-eruptive agglutination. The unusual pyroclasts are composed of ash-sized particles agglutinated to each other by thin necks. The textures suggest the magma was disrupted into droplets during ascent. Collisions between particles occurred within a volcanic plume and on deposition within the conduit to form a weakly agglutinated, porous pyroclastic deposit. Theoretical considerations indicate that agglutination occurred over short timescales. Agglutinated clasts were entrained into weak volcanic plumes and deposited around the craters. Our results support the notion that agglutination can occur during kimberlite eruptions, and that some coherent, dense rocks in ancient kimberlite pipes interpreted as intrusive rocks could instead represent agglutinated pyroclastic rocks. Differentiating between agglutinated pyroclastic rocks and effusive or intrusive rocks in kimberlite pipes is important because of the potential effects that pyroclastic processes might have on diamond concentrations in deposits.

The evolution of land plants during the Palaeozoic Era transformed Earth’s biosphere 1. Because the Earth's surface and interior are linked by tectonic processes, the linked evolution of the biosphere and sedimentary rocks should be recorded as a near-contemporary shift in the composition of the continental crust. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the isotopic signatures of zircon formed at subduction zones where marine sediments are transported into the mantle 2,3, thereby recording interactions between surface environments and the deep Earth. Using oxygen and lutetium-hafnium isotopes of magmatic zircon that respectively track surface weathering (time-independent) 4 and radiogenic decay (time-dependent) 5, we find a correlation in the composition of continental crust after 430 Myr ago, which is coeval with the onset of enhanced complexity and stability in sedimentary systems related to the evolution of vascular plants. The expansion of terrestrial vegetation brought channelled sand-bed and meandering rivers, muddy floodplains, and thicker soils, lengthening the duration of weathering before final marine deposition 6,7. Collectively, our results suggest that the evolution of vascular plants coupled the degree of weathering and timescales of sediment routing to depositional basins where they were subsequently subducted and melted. The late Palaeozoic isotopic shift of zircon indicates that the greening of the continents was recorded in the deep Earth.

Preservation of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments exerts a major control on the cycling of carbon in the Earth system. In these marine environments, OC preservation may be enhanced by diagenetic reactions in locations where deposition of fragmental volcanic material called tephra occurs. While the mechanisms by which this process occurs are well understood, site‐specific studies of this process are limited. Here, we report a study of sediments from the Bering Sea (IODP Site U1339D) to investigate the effects of marine tephra deposition on carbon cycling during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Our results suggest that tephra layers are loci of OC burial with distinct δ13C values, and that this process is primarily linked to bonding of OC with reactive metals, accounting for ∼80% of all OC within tephra layers. In addition, distribution of reactive metals from the tephra into non‐volcanic sediments above and below the tephra layers enhances OC preservation in these sediments, with ∼33% of OC bound to reactive phases. Importantly, OC‐Fe coupling is evident in sediments >700,000 years old. Thus, these interactions may help explain the observed preservation of OC in ancient marine sediments., Plain Language Summary: The burial of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments is one of the major carbon sinks on Earth, meaning that it removes carbon dioxide from the ocean‐atmosphere system. However, the speed at which burial occurs varies across the globe, and is dependent on a range of factors, from the amount of nutrients in the water column, to the type of sediment. Despite evidence suggesting that when tephra is deposited to the seafloor carbon burial is enhanced, very little work has been done to investigate this process. We have therefore analyzed sediments from the Bering Sea, where volcanoes from the Aleutian Islands and Kamchatka regularly deposit tephra in the ocean. We found that OC burial is indeed associated with ash deposition, and importantly, that OC is preserved in the ash layers themselves. We show here that this carbon is preserved effectively because of chemical reactions between the OC and reactive iron, which is released by the ash, creating conditions which preserve carbon for hundreds of thousands of years., Key Points: Tephra layers are loci of marine organic carbon (OC) burial with distinct carbon isotopic compositions. Preservation primarily linked to association of OC with reactive iron phases, accounting for ∼80% of all OC in tephra layers. OC‐reactive Fe coupling is observed in sediments >700,000 years old, indicating long‐term persistence of these complexes., NERC

Preservation of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments exerts a major control on the cycling of carbon in the Earth system. In marine sediment, OC preservation may be enhanced by diagenetic reacti...

The early Cenozoic exhibited profound environmental change influenced by plume magmatism, continental breakup, and opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Global warming culminated in the transient (170 thousand year, kyr) hyperthermal event, the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) 56 million years ago (Ma). Although sedimentary methane release has been proposed as a trigger, recent studies have implicated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the coeval North Atlantic igneous province (NAIP). However, we calculate that volcanic outgassing from mid-ocean ridges and large igneous provinces associated with the NAIP yields only one-fifth of the carbon required to trigger the PETM. Rather, we show that volcanic sequences spanning the rift-to-drift phase of the NAIP exhibit a sudden and ∼220-kyr-long intensification of volcanism coincident with the PETM, and driven by substantial melting of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Critically, the SCLM is enriched in metasomatic carbonates and is a major carbon reservoir. We propose that the coincidence of the Iceland plume and emerging asthenospheric upwelling disrupted the SCLM and caused massive mobilization of this deep carbon. Our melting models and coupled tectonic–geochemical simulations indicate the release of >104 gigatons of carbon, which is sufficient to drive PETM warming. Our model is consistent with anomalous CO2 fluxes during continental breakup, while also reconciling the deficit of deep carbon required to explain the PETM.

The Danakil depression in the Afar region of Ethiopia marks the change from subaerial continental rifting to seafloor spreading further north in the Red Sea [1]. Extension and volcanism in this incipient spreading centre is localised to the ~70-km-long, 20-km-wide active Erta Ale volcanic segment (EAVS), with multiple volcanic centres consisting of a combination of fissures, shield volcanoes and stratovolcanoes [2]. This study aims to better understand the nature of interaction between three volcanoes with the EAVS (Alu, Dalafilla and Borale) while also investigating their evolution during the transition from continental to oceanic crustal production.Here we combine results of mapping, using remote sensing, and geochemical analysis of Alu, Dalafilla and Borale in the northern half of the EAVS. Multispectral images were used to create a high-resolution map and establish a relative chronology of lava flows. Our results show that the majority of flows are sourced from a combination of scoria cones and fissures, representing in total 15 phases of volcanism within four major eruptive stages.The first stage represents large-scale fissure volcanism comprising basaltic phases that erupted in a submarine environment. Stage two involves basaltic fissure volcanism centred around the Alu dome. The third stage is dominated by trachy-andesite to rhyolitic (SiO2 of 59-70%) volcanism sourced from the volcanic edifices of Alu, Dalafilla and Borale. The fourth and final stage is characterised by a resumption of small-scale basaltic/trachybasalt (SiO2 of 49-55%) fissure eruptions.Geochemical modelling indicates a paucity of crustal assimilation and mixing within the sub-volcanic magmatic system. Spatial analysis of volcanic cones and fissures within the area indicate the presence of a cone sheet and ring faults. The fissures are likely fed by sills connecting the magma source with the volcanic edifices of Alu and Borale. Our results reveal the cyclic nature of both eruption style and composition of major volcanic complexes in rift environments, prior to the onset of seafloor spreading.References[1] Wolfenden et al. (2005) EPSL 224:213-228[2] Barberi and Varet (1970) Bull Volcanologique 34:848-917

Transform faults are a fundamental tenet of plate tectonics, connecting offset extensional segments of mid‐ocean ridges in ocean basins worldwide. The current consensus is that oceanic transform faults initiate after the onset of seafloor spreading. However, this inference has been difficult to test given the lack of direct observations of transform fault formation. Here we integrate evidence from surface faults, geodetic measurements, local seismicity, and numerical modeling of the subaerial Afar continental rift and show that a proto‐transform fault is initiating during the final stages of continental breakup. This is the first direct observation of proto‐transform fault initiation in a continental rift and sheds unprecedented light on their formation mechanisms. We demonstrate that they can initiate during late‐stage continental rifting, earlier in the rifting cycle than previously thought. Future studies of volcanic rifted margins cannot assume that oceanic transform faults initiated after the onset of seafloor spreading., Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 19 (12), ISSN:1525-2027

Impact rates on Earth and the Moon The rate at which impacts produce craters on the Moon is used to calibrate ages in planetary science. Earth should also have received similar numbers of impacts, but many craters have been hidden by erosion, ice sheets, and so on. Mazrouei et al. used infrared images of the Moon to estimate the ages of young lunar craters (see the Perspective by Koeberl). They found that the impact rate increased within the past ∼500 million years, a conclusion strengthened by an analysis of known impact craters on Earth. Crater size distributions are the same on Earth and the Moon over this period, implying that terrestrial erosion affects all craters equally, regardless of their size. Science , this issue p. 253 ; see also p. 224

A central prediction of the Snowball Earth hypothesis is that glacial onset should be synchronous at low latitudes, and its termination should be rapid and synchronous globally. High precision U/Pb zircon ages provide supporting evidence for the synchronous onset (within error) of the Sturtian glaciation (ca. 716 Ma) on multiple continents. Successful application of Re-Os techniques on organic rich shales and carbonates allow for the possibility of a globally synchronous Sturtian deglaciation (ca. 660 Ma), but the sparse isotopic age constraints leave this open to debate. Here we report the first high precision U-Pb zircon age of 663.03 ± 0.11 Ma (2σ) for the end Sturtian recorded in the Wilyerpa Formation of South Australia. This age supports previously published ages and is permissive with a globally synchronous deglaciation. In conjunction with the timing of glacial onset, this age reinforces the ca. 58 Myr duration of the Sturtian Snowball.

The Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a period of intense global warming that began ∼55.9 million years ago and lasted about 170,000 yrs. Various mechanisms have been proposed to cause this warming, including the emplacement of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP). Equally, many mechanisms have been invoked to explain sequestration of carbon from the ocean-atmosphere system necessary to promote the recovery to more temperate conditions. Here we propose that an important path for carbon sequestration was tied to NAIP volcanism through the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) cements within the tephra layers. These cements formed after the deposition and burial of tephra over a wide area of the North Atlantic Ocean during the late Palaeocene and early Eocene. We find strong evidence that authigenic CaCO3 cements formed shortly after tephra deposition. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that this process may have been responsible for a quarter of the carbon sequestered during the PETM recovery phase, providing a major, but previously unconsidered sink of isotopically-light carbon, and one which may have persisted into the Eocene.

Primary productivity in the upper ocean is a key driver of Earth’s carbon cycle. The supply of micronutrients such as iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) to the ocean is now known to exert a controlling influence on net primary productivity. Fragmental volcanic material, or tephra, is enriched in such nutrients, highly reactive and regularly supplied to the upper ocean when eruptions occur. However, there are no existing estimates of the global magnitude of the volcanic supply of these (and associated) nutrients to the oceans. Here we present new data from ten volcanic provinces globally including the Aleutian Islands and Lesser Antilles to estimate depletion factors of both Fe and Mn in altered tephra. By comparing the concentration of altered tephra to unaltered protolithic compositions, we can estimate depletion factors, and thus the amount of each element supplied to the oceans via this method. Using a novel Monte Carlo approach, we estimate mean values of Fe and Mn to be on the order of 26.1 and 0.25 Gmol yr-1, respectively. These values are broadly comparable to riverine and atmospheric dust fluxes to the ocean, indicating that volcanism plays a major role in Fe and Mn ocean cycles.

The marked increase in seawater Mg/Ca during the Cenozoic is poorly understood, due to the limited availability of proxy data and uncertainty in elucidating the respective contributions of Mg sources and sinks through geological time1. Though established as a potentially large source of dissolved Mg over twenty years ago, the weathering of abyssal peridotites2 is a largely unexplored potential source of Mg to oceanic budgets. The release of magnesium from peridotite weathering can occur in high temperature environments, during serpentinisation near the ridge axis3, as well as low temperature off-axis environments where peridotite and serpentinite are altered to clays, carbonates and silicates4. The relative magnitude of Mg fluxes from these sources are poorly constrained. Recent studies, however, now provide a general method for estimating bulk crustal lithologies of mid-ocean ridges based on spreading rate (i.e. proportion and mass of basalts, gabbros, peridotites and serpentinised peridotite) through time5—enabling us to quantitatively assess potential Mg contributions from these different environments.We constructed a model for oceanic crustal weathering (proportional to depth below the seafloor) to develop estimates of the mass and isotopic composition of magnesium loss from peridotite during alteration in both high- and low-T environments. As Mg fractionation occurs predominantly in low-T reactions, the primary serpentinisation reaction in near-ridge environments is unlikely to result in isotopic differentiation. Comparably, the secondary low-T alterations, of both remaining peridotites (to clays and iron hydroxides) and serpentinite (e.g. to talc and dolomite) are likely to result in the fractionation of Mg. We extend our analysis to incorporate the fractionation of these systems4 and their release of Mg into the ocean. We completed our analysis by presenting a compilation of fluid data for magnesium concentrations in ultramafic bodies from hydrothermal systems, in order to evaluate our model.References(1) Staudigel, H. "Chemical fluxes from hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic crust." (2014): 583-606.(2) Snow, J.E. and Dick, H.J., 1995. Pervasive magnesium loss by marine weathering of peridotite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59(20), pp.4219-4235.(3) Seyfried Jr, W.E., Pester, N.J., Ding, K. and Rough, M., 2011. Vent fluid chemistry of the Rainbow hydrothermal system (36 N, MAR): Phase equilibria and in situ pH controls on subseafloor alteration processes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 75(6), pp.1574-1593.(4) Liu, P.P., Teng, F.Z., Dick, H.J., Zhou, M.F. and Chung, S.L., 2017. Magnesium isotopic composition of the oceanic mantle and oceanic Mg cycling. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 206, pp.151-165.(5) Merdith, A.S., Atkins, S.E. and Tetley, M.G., 2019. Tectonic controls on carbon and serpentinite storage in subducted upper oceanic lithosphere for the past 320 Ma. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7, p.332.

The Boset magmatic segment (BMS) of the northern Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) is an ideal natural laboratory to investigate the kinematics, interaction, and rates of activity within a fault network in a magma-rich rift. In this paper we take advantage of the availability of (1) high-resolution remote sensing data (LiDAR, ASTER); (2) absolute age chronology on offset reference surfaces; and (3) well-exposed active normal fault arrays to place new constraints on rift kinematics and strain distribution, and to quantify the architecture and fault slip rates at different temporal scales within a magmatic segment. We found that the rift border faults strike approximately NE, while the younger faults in the rift segments strike NNE. Analyses of geometric rift parameters show that the axial active part of the rift is transtensional with an increase of the shear component northward. The fault displacement analyses and displacement:length ratios increase toward the segment tips, suggesting a significant contribution of fault growth by linkage. In contrast, magmatism is focused on the segment center and localized to a narrow zone. Estimated fault slip rates vary, with rates of up to ~0.37 mm/year in ~0.3 Ma old rift floor deposits, whereas higher rates of up to ~4.4 mm/year are observed for faults cutting through ~6 Ka lavas. The difference in slip rates indicates short-term variability or a very active recent episode compared to long-term low average slip rates.

Estimated at ~58 Myr in duration, the Sturtian snowball Earth (ca. 717‐659 Ma) is one of the longest‐known glaciations in Earth history. Surprisingly few uncontroversial lines of evidence for glacial incisions associated with such a protracted event exist. We report here multiple lines of geologic field evidence for deep but variable glacial erosion during the Sturtian glaciation. One incision, on the scale of several kilometers, represents the deepest incision documented for snowball Earth; another much more modest glacial valley, however, suggests an erosion rate similar to sluggish Quaternary glaciers. The heterogeneity in snowball glacial incisions reported here and elsewhere were likely influenced by actively extending horst‐and‐graben topography associated with the breakup of supercontinent Rodinia.

Preservation of organic carbon (Corg) in marine sediments plays a major role in defining ocean-atmosphere CO2 levels, Earth climate, and the generation of hydrocarbons. Important controls over sedimentary Corg preservation include; biological productivity, Corg isolation from oxidants (mainly dissolved O2) in the overlying water column and sediments, and Corg – mineral association in sediments. Deposition of the products of explosive volcanism (tephra) in the oceans directly enhances Corg burial through all these mechanisms, and indirectly through enhanced formation of authigenic carbonate (Cauth) derived from sedimentary Corg. In the modern oceans, it is suggested that tephra deposition may account for 5–10% of the Corg burial flux and 10–40% of the Cauth burial flux. However, during certain periods in Earth's history, extensive explosive volcanism may have led to enhanced Cauth precipitation on a sufficiently large scale to influence the global ocean-atmosphere carbon cycle. Changes in tephra-related Corg preservation may also have played a role in increasing Corg preservation rates in local marine basins, at the oxic-anoxic boundary and enhanced the generation of hydrocarbon deposits in these settings.

Hole U1395B, drilled southeast of Montserrat during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 340, provides a long (>1 Ma) and detailed record of eruptive and mass-wasting events (>130 discrete events). This record can be used to explore the temporal evolution in volcanic activity and landslides at an arc volcano. Analysis of tephra fall and volcaniclastic turbidite deposits in the drill cores reveals three heightened periods of volcanic activity on the island of Montserrat (∼930 to ∼900 ka, ∼810 to ∼760 ka, and ∼190 to ∼120 ka) that coincide with periods of increased volcano instability and mass-wasting. The youngest of these periods marks the peak in activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano. The largest flank collapse of this volcano (∼130 ka) occurred toward the end of this period, and two younger landslides also occurred during a period of relatively elevated volcanism. These three landslides represent the only large (>0.3 km3) flank collapses of the Soufriere Hills edifice, and their timing also coincides with periods of rapid sea level rise (>5 m/ka). Available age data from other island arc volcanoes suggest a general correlation between the timing of large landslides and periods of rapid sea level rise, but this is not observed for volcanoes in intraplate ocean settings. We thus infer that rapid sea level rise may modulate the timing of collapse at island arc volcanoes, but not in larger ocean-island settings.

Mitigating human contributions to climate change is a highly debated topic, as it becomes evident that many nations do not adhere to optional reductions in global emission. Substantial research is taking place into negative carbon technologies that actively reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) via greenhouse gas removal (GGR). Various GGR methods have been proposed, from reforestation to ocean fertilisation. This article discusses advantages of an approach based on enhanced input of tephra to the ocean, to increase the drawdown of atmospheric CO 2. Natural addition of tephra to the ocean results in preservation of enhanced organic matter in sediment. Hence, augmenting its delivery should raise the level of sequestration. Calculations indicate that offshore tephra addition could sequester 2750 tonnes of CO 2 per 50,000 tonnes of ash delivered (a typical bulk carrier's capacity). The cost is estimated as ∼$55 per tonne of CO 2 sequestered and is an order of magnitude cheaper than many proposed GGR technologies. Further advantages include: tephra addition is simply an augmentation of a natural Earth process, it is a low technology approach that requires few developments, and it may sequester carbon for thousands of years. Hence, offshore tephra addition warrants further investigation to assess its viability.

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Irish-type mineralization is commonly attributed to fault-controlled mixing of a seawater-derived, sulfur-rich fluid and basement-derived, metal-rich fluid. However, maar-diatreme volcanoes discovered in close spatial and temporal association with Zn-Pb mineralization at Stonepark in the Limerick basin (southwest Ireland) bring a new dimension to established geologic models and may increase the deposit-scale prospectivity in one of the world’s greatest Zn-Pb districts. Stonepark exhibits many incidences of dolomitic black matrix breccias with associated Zn-Pb mineralization, the latter typically occurring within 150 m of the diatremes. Highly negative δ34S pyrite values within country rock-dominated black matrix breccias (–12 to –34) are consistent with sulfide precipitation from bacteriogenic sulfur reduction in seawater-derived brines. However, δ34S values of Zn-Pb sulfides replacing black matrix breccias (–10 to 1) reflect multiple sulfur sources. Diatreme emplacement both greatly enhanced country rock fracture permeability and produced conduits that are filled with porous volcaniclastic material and extend down to basement rock types. Our δ34S data suggest that diatremes provide more efficient fluid pathways for basement-derived fluids. The diatremes introduce another potential sulfur source and facilitate a greater input of metal-rich basement-derived hydrothermal fluid into the system compared to other Irish-type deposits such as Navan and Lisheen, evidenced by Stonepark’s more positive modal δ34S value of –4. Irish-type deposits are traditionally thought to form in association with extensional basement faults and are considered unrelated to extensive Carboniferous magmatism. Our results indicate that a direct link exists between diatreme volcanism and Zn-Pb mineralization at Limerick, prompting a reevaluation of the traditional Irish-type ore formation model, in regions where mineralization is spatially associated with volcanic pipes.

Upwelling plumes from the deep mantle have an impact on the Earth's surface for tens to hundreds of millions of years. During the lifetime of a mantle plume, periodic fluctuations in its composition and temperature have the potential to generate changes in the nature and volume of surface volcanism. We constrain the spatial and temporal scale of compositional changes in a plume using high-resolution Pb isotopes, which identify chemical pulses emerging from the Canary Islands hotspot over the last ∼15 million years (Myr). Surface volcanism spanning ∼ 400 km along the island chain changes composition systematically and synchronously, representing a replenishment of the plume head by a distinct mantle flavour on timescales of 3-5 Myr. These low-frequency compositional changes are also recorded by individual volcanoes, and comprise a sequence of closely-spaced isotopic trajectories. Each trajectory is maintained for ∼1 Myr and is preceded and followed by ∼0.3 Myr transitions to magmas with distinct isotope ratios. Relatively sharp transitions between periods of sustained isotopic stability require discrete yet coherent heterogeneities rising at speeds of ∼100-200 km Myr−1 and extending for ∼150 km vertically in the conduit. The long-term synchronous changes require larger scale isotopic domains extending ∼600 km vertically through in the plume stem. These observations demonstrate that plumes can chemically “pulse” over short and long-timescales reflecting the characteristics and recycling history of the deep mantle.

Significance It has long been observed that the sequence of sedimentary rocks deposited in the past half-billion years often sharply overlies older igneous or metamorphic basement at an erosional surface known as the Great Unconformity. We provide evidence that this unconformity may record rapid erosion during Neoproterozoic “snowball Earth” glaciations. We show that the extent of Phanerozoic sedimentation in shallow continental seas can be accurately reproduced by modeling the accommodation space produced by the proposed glacial erosion, underlining the importance of glaciation as a means for lowering erosional base level. These results provide constraints on the sedimentary and geochemical environment in which the first multicellular animals evolved and diversified in the “Cambrian explosion” following the unconformity., The Great Unconformity, a profound gap in Earth’s stratigraphic record often evident below the base of the Cambrian system, has remained among the most enigmatic field observations in Earth science for over a century. While long associated directly or indirectly with the occurrence of the earliest complex animal fossils, a conclusive explanation for the formation and global extent of the Great Unconformity has remained elusive. Here we show that the Great Unconformity is associated with a set of large global oxygen and hafnium isotope excursions in magmatic zircon that suggest a late Neoproterozoic crustal erosion and sediment subduction event of unprecedented scale. These excursions, the Great Unconformity, preservational irregularities in the terrestrial bolide impact record, and the first-order pattern of Phanerozoic sedimentation can together be explained by spatially heterogeneous Neoproterozoic glacial erosion totaling a global average of 3–5 vertical kilometers, along with the subsequent thermal and isostatic consequences of this erosion for global continental freeboard.

The thermal performance of high-voltage submarine cables is controlled by the effectiveness of heat transfer through the sediments in which they are buried. This paper assesses the influence of sediment parameters on this heat transfer using finite-element simulations. Particular attention is paid to the role of convective heat transfer, with a method being developed to define installation scenarios where this may become significant. This paper shows that the permeability is the dominant factor and can have a significant impact on cable temperatures, even though it is typically neglected in conventional models.

Highlights • Repeated 2D seismic reflection surveys map migration of CO2 in marine sediments. • CO2 is imaged as bright spots, acoustic blanking, and by reflector terminations. • Seismic chimneys are interpreted as inter-connected micro-scale fractures. • CO2 migration is controlled by stratigraphy and total subsurface gas volume/injection rate. • CO2 changes sediment acoustic properties, including reflectivity and attenuation. Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key technology to potentially mitigate global warming by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial facilities and power generation that escape into the atmosphere. To broaden the usage of geological storage as a viable climate mitigation option, it is vital to understand CO2 behaviour after its injection within a storage reservoir, including its potential migration through overlying sediments, as well as biogeochemical and ecological impacts in the event of leakage. The impacts of a CO2 release were investigated by a controlled release experiment that injected CO2 at a known flux into shallow, under-consolidated marine sediments for 37 days. Repeated high-resolution 2D seismic reflection surveying, both pre-release and syn-release, allows the detection of CO2-related anomalies, including: seismic chimneys; enhanced reflectors within the subsurface; and bubbles within the water column. In addition, reflection coefficient and seismic attenuation values calculated for each repeat survey, allow the impact of CO2 flux on sediment acoustic properties to be comparatively monitored throughout the gas release. CO2 migration is interpreted as being predominantly controlled by sediment stratigraphy in the early stages of the experiment. However, either the increasing flow rate, or the total injected volume become the dominant factors determining CO2 migration later in the experiment.

Injection depth matters for induced earthquakes Wastewater injection has induced earthquakes in Oklahoma, but the relative importance of operational and geologic parameters in triggering such earthquakes is unclear. Hincks et al. developed an advanced Bayesian network to determine the interplay between these parameters in Oklahoma. The injection depth above the crystalline basement was the most important parameter when considering the potential for release of seismic energy. This modeling strategy may provide a way to improve forecasts of the impact of proposed regulatory changes on induced seismicity. Science , this issue p. 1251

The Danakil region of northern Afar is an area of ongoing seismic and volcanic activity caused by the final stages of continental breakup. To improve the quantification of seismicity, we developed a calibrated local earthquake magnitude scale. The accurate calculation of earthquake magnitudes allows the estimation of b ‐values and maximum magnitudes, both of which are essential for seismic‐hazard analysis. Earthquake data collected between February 2011 and February 2013 on 11 three‐component broadband seismometers were analyzed. A total of 4275 earthquakes were recorded over hypocentral distances ranging from 0 to 400 km. A total of 32,904 zero‐to‐peak amplitude measurements ( A ) were measured on the seismometer’s horizontal components and were incorporated into a direct linear inversion that solved for all individual local earthquake magnitudes ( M L), 22 station correction factors ( C ), and 2 distance‐dependent factors ( n , K ) in the equation M L=log( A )−log( A )+ C . The resultant distance correction term is given by −log( A )=1.274336log( r /17)−0.000273( r −17)+2. This distance correction term suggests that attenuation in the upper and mid‐crust of northern Afar is relatively high, consistent with the presence of magmatic intrusions and partial melt. In contrast, attenuation in the lower crust and uppermost mantle is anomalously low, interpreted to be caused by a high melt fraction causing attenuation to occur outside the seismic frequency band. The calculated station corrections serve to reduce the M L residuals significantly but do not show a correlation with regional geology. The cumulative seismicity rate produces a b ‐value of 0.9±0.06, which is higher than most regions of continental rifting yet lower than values recorded at midocean ridges, further supporting the hypothesis that northern Afar is transitioning to seafloor spreading. [Electronic Supplement:][1] List of all local earthquakes used in the study with calculated local magnitudes and associated magnitude error. [1]: http://www.bssaonline.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1785/0120150253/-/DC1

Volcanism on Montserrat (Lesser Antilles arc) has migrated southwards since the formation of the Silver Hills ~ 2.5 Ma, and has formed three successively active volcanic centres. The Centre Hills volcano was the focus of volcanism from ~ 1–0.4 Ma, before activity commenced at the currently active Soufrière Hills volcano. The history of activity at these two volcanoes provides an opportunity to investigate the pattern of volcano behaviour on an andesitic arc island over the lifetime of individual volcanoes. Here, we describe the pyroclastic stratigraphy of subaerial exposures around central Montserrat; identifying 11 thick (> 1 m) pumiceous units derived from sustained explosive eruptions of Centre Hills from ~ 0.8–0.4 Ma. Over 10 other, less well- exposed pumiceous units have also been identified. The pumice-rich units are interbedded with andesite lava breccias derived from effusive, dome-forming eruptions of Centre Hills. The stratigraphy indicates that large (up to magnitude 5) explosive eruptions occurred throughout the history of Centre Hills, alongside effusive activity. This behaviour at Centre Hills contrasts with Soufrière Hills, where deposits from sustained explosive eruptions are much less common and restricted to early stages of activity at the volcano, from ~ 175–130 ka. Subsequent eruptions at Soufriere Hills have been dominated by andesitic effusive eruptions. The bulk composition, petrography and mineral chemistry of volcanic rocks from Centre Hills and Soufrière Hills are similar throughout the history of both volcanoes, except for occasional, transient departures to different magma compositions, which mark shifts in vent location or dominant eruption style. For example, the final recorded eruption of Centre Hills, before the initiation of activity at Soufrière Hills, was more silicic than any other identified eruption on Montserrat; and the basaltic South Soufrière Hills episode marked the transition to the current stage of predominantly effusive Soufrière Hills activity. The compositional stability observed throughout the history of Centre Hills and Soufrière Hills suggests that a predominance towards effusive or explosive eruption styles is not driven by major compositional shifts of magma, but may reflect local changes in long-term magma storage conditions that characterise individual episodes (on 105 year timescales) of volcanism on Montserrat.

Alkali basaltic diatremes such as Elie Ness (Fife, Scotland) expose a range of volcanic lithofacies that points to a complex, multi -stage emplacement history. Here, basanites contain phenocrysts including pyrope garnet and sub-calcic augites from depths of similar to 60 km. Volcanic rocks from all units, pyroclastic and hypabyssal, are characterised by rare earth element (REE) patterns that show continuous enrichment from heavy REE (HREE) to light REE (LREE), and high Zr/Y that are consistent with retention of garnet in the mantle source during melting of peridotite in a garnet lherzolite fades. Erupted garnets are euhedral and unresorbed, signifying rapid ascent through the lithosphere. The magmas also transported abundant pyroxenitic clasts, cognate with the basanite host, from shallower depths (similar to 35-40 km). These clasts exhibit wide variation in texture, mode and mineralogy, consistent with growth from a range of compositionally diverse melts. Further, clinopyroxene phenocrysts from both the hypabyssal and pyroclastic units exhibit a very wide compositional range, indicative of polybaric fractionation and magma mixing. This is attributed to stalling of earlier magmas in the lower crust principally from similar to 22 to 28 km as indicated by pyroxene thermobarometry. Many clinopyroxenes display chemical zoning profiles, occasionally with mantles and rims of higher magnesium number (Mg#) suggesting the magmas were mobilised by juvenile basanite magma. The tuffs also contain alkali feldspar megacrysts together with Feclinopyroxene, zircon and related salic xenoliths, of the 'anorthoclasite suite' - inferred to have crystallised at upper mantle to lower crustal depths from salic magma in advance of the mafic host magmas. Despite evidence for entrainment of heterogeneous crystal mushes, the rapidly ascending melts experienced negligible crustal contamination. The complex association of phenocrysts, megacrysts and autoliths at Elie Ness indicates thorough mixing in a dynamic system immediately prior to explosive diatreme-forming eruptions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Gough and Mykura Fund of the Geological Society of Edinburgh; Timothy Jefferson Fund of the Geological Society of London Gernon was supported by the Gough and Mykura Fund of the Geological Society of Edinburgh, and the Timothy Jefferson Fund of the Geological Society of London. We thank Stuart Kearns and Matthew Cooper for their assistance with the EPMA and XRF respectively. Fig. 12 was illustrated by Gary Hincks. We thank Andrew Kerr for his editorial assistance, and Aniko Batki and Teresa Ubide for very helpful comments that greatly improved the manuscript. WOS:000387191600006 2-s2.0-84983486396

The expansion of offshore renewable energy infrastructure and the need for trans-continental shelf power transmission require the use of submarine High Voltage (HV) cables. These cables have maximum operating surface temperatures of up to 70°C and are typically buried 1–2 m beneath the seabed, within the wide range of substrates found on the continental shelf. However, the heat flow pattern and potential effects on the sedimentary environments around such anomalously high heat sources in the near surface sediments are poorly understood. We present temperature measurements from a 2D laboratory experiment representing a buried submarine HV cable, and identify the thermal regimes generated within typical unconsolidated shelf sediments—coarse silt, fine sand and very coarse sand. We used a large (2 × 2.5 m) tank filled with water-saturated spherical glass beads (ballotini) and instrumented with a buried heat source and 120 thermocouples, to measure the time-dependent 2D temperature distributions. The observed and corresponding Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations of the steady state heat flow regimes, and normalised radial temperature distributions were assessed. Our results show that the heat transfer and thus temperature fields generated from submarine HV cables buried within a range of sediments are highly variable. Coarse silts are shown to be purely conductive, producing temperature increases of >10°C up to 40 cm from the source of 60°C above ambient; fine sands demonstrate a transition from conductive to convective heat transfer between c. 20°C and 36°C above ambient, with >10°C heat increases occurring over a metre from the source of 55°C above ambient; and very coarse sands exhibit dominantly convective heat transfer even at very low (c. 7°C) operating temperatures and reaching temperatures of up to 18°C above ambient at a metre from the source at surface temperatures of only 18°C. These findings are important for the surrounding near surface environments experiencing such high temperatures and may have significant implications for chemical and physical processes operating at the grain and sub-grain scale; biological activity at both micro-faunal and macro-faunal levels; and indeed the operational performance of the cables themselves, as convective heat transport would increase cable current ratings, something neglected in existing standards.

The Orapa Diamond Mine (Republic of Botswana) exposes a bi-lobate kimberlite pipe that erupted during the Late-Cretaceous epoch (~ 93 Ma) through Archaean basement and volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup. Geological mapping of the crater zone of the South Pipe has revealed a 15-25 m thick in-situ kimberlite pyroclastic flow deposit. The pyroclastic deposit fills in the crater and completely drapes lower units, indicating that the parent flow originated from an adjacent kimberlite pipe. The unit comprises a basal coarse lithic concentration layer exhibiting imbricated clasts, which grades upwards into massive poorly sorted lapilli tuff. The tuff contains abundant sub-vertical degassing structures defined by lithic enrichment and depletion in fine-grained material. Degassing structures commonly emanate from blocks in the basal layer. The presence of degassing structures and a coarse basal layer distinguishes this deposit from pipe-filling massive volcaniclastic kimberlite, which is typically homogeneous in terms of texture and clast size over distances on the order of 100s of metres. Studies of the thermal remanent magnetism in basalt clasts from the deposit, together with serpentine-diopside assemblages, indicate that it was emplaced at elevated temperatures on the order of 200-440 °C, consistent with deposition from a pyroclastic flow. The lithofacies characteristics can be explained by the interaction of the pyroclastic flow with the complex topography of a pre-existing crater. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tapered fluidized beds are widely used in industrial operations to fluidize a wide range of particle sizes, and are thought to induce relatively strong particle mixing. Like their straight-sided counterparts, tapered fluidized beds are often considered as a homogeneous emulsion phase through which bubbles propagate. However, it has been shown that gas flow through the dense-phase of tapered beds is heterogeneous, generating a central fluidized core and unfluidized peripheral regions. When polydisperse particle mixtures are fluidized in a tapered bed, the structure becomes much more complex once the particles reach the minimum fluidization velocity (Umf), and a variety of segregation structures are generated. The aim of this study is to investigate how the two different types of structure (i.e. flow structure owing to the tapered shape of the bed and the segregation structures) interact and affect each other. Experiments were performed in a tapered (θ = 15°) planar bed using bidisperse mixtures of ballotini. The growth and extent of flow and segregation structures were measured, as well as the fabrics observed under different conditions. Under most conditions, the structure of the tapered bed is unaffected by the bed composition and segregation structures that form. An exception is at flow-rates just in excess of Umf when vertical columns of particles form, completely displacing larger-scale flow structures. The time scale for particle turnover in the central fluidized region is much shorter than that of particles captured within the peripheral regions. However, at sufficiently high gas flow-rates, uniform mixing can take place across the entire width of the bed.

The Snap Lake hypabyssal kimberlite is a 15° inclined intrusion that intrudes Archaean rocks of the Slave craton. Mapping has identified two main lithofacies within the intrusion, olivine-rich kimberlite (ORK) and olivine-poor kimberlite (OPK). Extensive bulk sampling has demonstrated that diamonds vary in both abundance and size across the intrusion. Since fresh forsteritic olivine and diamond possess similar densities they can be expected to be hydraulically equivalent. This study investigates the local scale variation of olivine grain size and content using image analysis, and whether olivine can be used as a proxy for diamond concentration and size. Direct measurement of diamonds is made difficult by extremely low concentrations of around 0.4 ppm and by the inability of the sampling methodology to sample selectively. Olivines from the two kimberlite varieties possess distinctly different crystal size distributions and this, together with contrasting groundmass textures, mineralogy and phlogopite compositions, indicates that the OPK and ORK represent two distinct batches of kimberlite magma. The general lack of sorting of olivine grains and the presence of decussate phlogopite textures in the ORK indicate that this magma crystallized rapidly, but was probably preceded by the OPK which had a more complex crystallization history as revealed by complex zoning patterns of its phlogopite grains. A methodology for comparing olivine and diamond size distributions has been developed, and a strong correlation between diamond and olivine size distributions is demonstrated. The correlation is used to demonstrate that diamond size distributions can be predicted from the proportions of OPK and ORK that comprise each bulk sample. It can be concluded that the two textural varieties of kimberlite possess distinctly different olivine (and diamond?) populations and that olivines are a good proxy for understanding diamond distributions at a local scale in the Snap Lake intrusion.

Massive volcaniclastic kimberlite (MVK) deposits are a volumetrically important constituent in most kimberlite diatremes. MVKs are typically characterised by their uniform texture and homogeneous composition, and previous studies suggest that they exhibit little appreciable internal variation. However, new field results from the Venetia K1 diatreme (South Africa) show that MVK displays significant changes over metre-scales. The textural characteristics and large- and small-scale structure of the deposits are described and interpreted as being due to fluidisation. Laboratory experiments of tapered fluidised beds demonstrate how they are heterogeneous, with fluidisation and mixing limited to the centre of the bed. Marginal wedge-shaped regions remain unfluidised. The unfluidised regions are internally laminated and slip downwards when a high proportion of the bed is fluidised. The observations also demonstrate how fluctuations in gas velocity can produce steep internal boundaries between laminated and well-mixed regions. Data consistent with gas-fluidisation in MVK deposits includes the massive structure, uniform distribution of lithic clasts, presence of steep internal contacts, dominantly sub-vertical crystal fabrics across the vent, occurrence of surface-derived material along the tapered diatreme walls, and the presence of degassing structures. We propose that the overall structure of the Venetia K1 diatreme-fill is consistent with a multi-stage fluidised emplacement, which involved (1) strong initial fluidisation that caused thorough mixing of juvenile and lithic material; (2) a gradual step-wise decrease in gas flux, that produced nested pipe-like sequences; and (3) migration of the narrow fluidised column towards the steep eastern diatreme wall. The occurrence of (4) degassing structures in MVK deposits across the vent is consistent with an overall rapid transition from high to low degrees of fluidisation towards the end of the eruption.

The Orapa A/K1 Diamond Mine, Botswana, exposes the crater facies of a bilobate kimberlite pipe of Upper Cretaceous age. The South Crater consists of layered volcaniclastic deposits which unconformably cross-cut massive volcaniclastic kimberlite of diatreme facies in the North Pipe. Based on the depositional structure, grain-size, sorting and composition of kimberlite in the South Crater, six units are distinguished in the ∼70 m thick stratiform crater-fill sequence and talus slope deposits close to the crater wall, which represents a multistage infill of the volcanic crater. Monolithic basalt breccias (Unit 1) near the base of the crater-fill are interpreted as rock-fall avalanche deposits, generated by the sector collapse of the crater walls. These deposits are overlain by a basal imbricated lithic breccia and upper massive sub-unit (Unit 2), interpreted as the deposits of a pyroclastic flow that entered the South Crater from another source. Vertical degassing structures within the massive sub-unit show evidence for elutriation of fines and probably were formed after emplacement by fluidization due to air entrainment. Units 3 and 5 are thinly stratified deposits, characterized by diffuse bedding, reverse and normal grading, coarse lenticular beds, mudstone beds, small-scale scour channels and load casts. These units are attributed to rapidly emplaced sheet floods on the crater floor. Units 3 and 5 are directly overlain by poorly sorted volcaniclastic kimberlite (Units 4 and 6) rich in basalt boulders, attributed to debris flows formed by the collapse of crater walls. Unit 7 comprises medium sandstones to cobble conglomerates representing talus fans, which were active throughout the deposition of Units 1 to 6. The study demonstrates that much of the material infilling the South Crater is derived externally after eruption, including primary pyroclastic flow deposits probably from another kimberlite pipe. These findings have important implications for predicting diamond grade. Results may also aid the interpretation of crater sequences of ultra-basic, basaltic and intermediate volcanoes, together with the deposits of topographic basins in sub-aerial settings.

Gas-fluidisation is commonly invoked as an important process during the formation of vent-fill deposits in diverging kimberlite pipes. In this study, we performed a series of laboratory experiments to determine the gas-fluidisation behaviour of particles in both confined straight-sided and tapered containers, as an analogue to volcaniclastic materials infilling a kimberlite pipe, in the presence of a gas flow. We investigated the effects of taper angle, bed height and gas flow rate on fluidisation behaviour, focusing on medium-coarse grained particles (106–212 μm). We show that beds in straight-sided containers become homogeneously fluidised, whereas beds in tapered containers become heterogeneous, with fluidisation limited to a central roughly hyperboloid-shaped region. Either side of the well-mixed fluidised core, marginal wedge-shaped regions remain unfluidised, and the width of unfluidised regions decreases with increasing gas flux. The unfluidised wedges are internally laminated and slip downwards when a critical proportion of the bed is fluidised (∼ 90%). This generates a “conveyor-belt”-type mechanism of particle transport. These experimental observations demonstrate how fluctuations in gas velocity can produce steep internal boundaries between laminated and well-mixed regions. The observations also show how marginal inward dipping layered sequences could slip into deep parts of kimberlite pipes. Our results provide a framework for interpreting the volcaniclastic lithofacies of kimberlite pipes.

Geological mapping has allowed constraints to be placed on the eruption mechanisms involved in the formation of the Late Permian–Early Triassic Jwaneng Centre kimberlite pipe, Botswana. Twelve lithofacies and three lithofacies associations (LFA 1–3) are recognised. LFA 1 comprises massive to bedded volcaniclastic kimberlite and marginal shale breccias and outcrops over 65% of the surface area of the pipe. It is characterised by a lithic population dominated by Transvaal shale clasts. LFA 1 grades into LFA 2, which comprises massive and bedded volcaniclastic kimberlite and volcaniclastic breccias and outcrops over 19% of the surface area of the pipe. The lithic population of LFA 2 is dominated by contorted and fluidal-outlined Karoo-age mudstones and siltstones. LFA 3 comprises a wedge-shaped unit in the north of the pipe and consists of a series of allochthonous megablocks of sedimentary and volcaniclastic strata. The juvenile clast type and matrix mineral assemblages of the volcaniclastic deposits in the Centre Pipe differ from those in many other southern African kimberlite pipes. Various emplacement models for kimberlite pipes are discussed and evaluated in the light of the new geological data. Both a maar–diatreme model and an explosive volatile-driven eruption model could account for much of the geology of the Centre Pipe and distinguishing between the two models based on deposits alone is difficult. There is strong circumstantial evidence for ambient conditions favourable to phreatomagmatism at the time of the eruption, and the influence of external water may explain the differences between the Jwaneng Centre Pipe and the Class 1 kimberlites common across Southern Africa in terms of both the juvenile clasts and of the inter-clast cement. However, low abundances of some types of lithic inclusions derived from major country rock units pose an unresolved problem for a classic maar–diatreme model of pipe formation.

Kimberlite pipes are commonly filled with a distinctive structureless facies termed volcaniclastic kimberlite (previously also termed Tuffisitic Kimberlite Breccia, TKB), which constitutes a thorough mix of both juvenile material and lithic clasts derived from all stratigraphic levels. Within this facies at several kimberlite pipes, we have identified steeply-inclined segregation structures, developed on length-scales ranging from several centimetres to decimetres. The structures are pipe-like (in 2D) and characterised by a concentration of coarse crystals and lithic clasts and depletion of the fine components that characterise the host matrix. They are interpreted as degassing structures, generated by the passing of fluids through particulate deposits during the earliest (or latest) stages of fluidisation. In this paper, we identify three circumstances in which degassing structures are generated in volcaniclastic kimberlite emplacement: (1) pyroclastic density current deposits, (2) local segregations caused by degassing through pipe-fill, and (3) fluidisation during channelling of deep-sourced gas-particle dispersions. To our knowledge, these structures have not been described in kimberlites before and provide important evidence for the occurrence of gas-fluidisation during the waning stages of kimberlite eruptions. Using examples from southern African kimberlite pipes, we describe general aspects of their structure, combined with particle size distributions, clast fabric studies and petrographic compositions.

During Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations, the oceans gained massive amounts of alkalinity, culminating in the deposition of massive cap carbonates on deglaciation. Changes in terrestrial runoff associated with both breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent and deglaciation can explain some, but not all of the requisite changes in ocean chemistry. Submarine volcanism along shallow ridges formed during supercontinent breakup results in the formation of large volumes of glassy hyaloclastite, which readily alters to palagonite. Here we estimate fluxes of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silica and bicarbonate associated with these shallow-ridge processes, and argue that extensive submarine volcanism during the breakup of Rodinia made an important contribution to changes in ocean chemistry during Snowball Earth glaciations. We use Monte Carlo simulations to show that widespread hyaloclastite alteration under near-global sea-ice cover could lead to Ca2+ and Mg2+ supersaturation over the course of the glaciation that is sufficient to explain the volume of cap carbonates deposited. Furthermore, our conservative estimates of phosphorus release are sufficient to explain the observed P:Fe ratios in sedimentary iron formations from this time. This large phosphorus release may have fuelled primary productivity, which in turn would have contributed to atmospheric O2 rises that followed Snowball Earth episodes. The Cryogenian Snowball Earth glaciations were followed by the deposition of massive cap carbonates. Geochemical modelling suggests that shallow-ridge volcanism supplied much of the alkalinity and cations that fuelled this deposition.