| 1. |
- Rivera, Javier, et al.
(author)
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Platinum-group element and gold enrichment in soils monitored by chromium stable isotopes during weathering of ultramafic rocks
- 2018
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In: Chemical Geology. - : Elsevier. - 0009-2541 .- 1872-6836. ; 499, s. 84-99
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Weathering of ultramafic rocks can lead to the formation of soil profiles with high contents of Fe, Ni, Co, platinum-group elements (PGE) and gold. Traditionally, these metal-rich soils are known as “laterites” and are formed under tropical climates and stable tectonic conditions. However, little is known about their possible development in cold/humid regions, and the factors governing PGE and gold mobility and enrichment under these weathering conditions are poorly constrained. In this study, five soil profiles developed on serpentinized, chromite-bearing ultramafic rocks at La Cabaña, located in the Coastal Range of south-central Chile (38° S) were studied by combining major and trace element geochemistry with chromium stable isotope data. The results show that the soils developed at La Cabaña have higher PGE and Au contents than the parent serpentinite rock, with ∑PGE and Au reaching up to 160 ppb and 29 ppb in a limonitic soil horizon and clay saprolite, respectively. Most soil samples have slightly negative δ53/52CrSRM979 values, within a range of −0.089 ± 0.012‰ to −0.320 ± 0.013‰ (average of −0.178‰), and are in agreement with previous data reported for modern soils. A noteworthy relation between δ53/52Cr data and PGE + Au contents is observed in the studied soil horizons, where isotopically lighter values of δ53/52Cr match the higher contents of PGE and gold. These results show that pedogenetic processes operating at the cold and humid La Cabaña area are capable of increasing the total PGE and Au contents of certain soil horizons. Such processes are complex and multivariate but are primarily modulated by chromite dissolution and the formation of secondary phases such as clay minerals and oxy-hydroxide phases in the soil. These findings provide evidence that important weathering and PGE + Au supergene accumulation are not only restricted to tropical latitudes, and that the chromium isotope system is a useful proxy to track surface redox process and noble metal enrichment during pedogenesis.
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| 2. |
- Ecke, Frauke, et al.
(author)
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Spatio-temporal variation of metals and organic contaminants in bank voles (Myodes glareolus)
- 2020
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 713
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Environmental contamination with metals and organic compounds is of increasing concern for ecosystem and human health. Still, our knowledge about spatial distribution, temporal changes and ecotoxicological fate of metals and organic contaminants in wildlife is limited. We studied concentrations of 69 elements and 50 organic compounds in 300 bank voles (Myodes glareolus), Europe's most common mammal, sampled in spring and autumn 2017–2018 in five monitoring areas, representing three biogeographic regions. In addition, we compared measured concentrations with previous results from bank voles sampled within the same areas in 1995–1997 and 2001. In general, our results show regional differences, but no consistent patterns among contaminants and study areas. The exception was for the lowest concentrations of organic contaminants (e.g. perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS), which were generally found in the northern Swedish mountain area. Concentrations of metals and organic contaminants in adults varied seasonally with most organic contaminants being higher in spring; likely induced by diet shifts but potentially also related to age differences. In addition, metal concentrations varied between organs (liver vs. kidney), age classes (juveniles vs. adults; generally higher in adults) as well as between males and females. Concentrations of chromium and nickel in kidney and liver in the northernmost mountain area were lower in 2017–2018 than in 1995–1997 and in three of four areas, lead concentrations were lower in 2017–2018 than in 2001. Current metal concentrations (except mercury) are not expected to negatively affect the voles. Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene displayed highest concentrations in 2001 in the mountains, while it was close to detection limit in 2017–2018. Likewise, PFOS concentrations decreased in the mountains and in south-central lowland forests between 2001 and 2017–2018. Our results suggest that season, age class and sex need to be considered when designing and interpreting results from monitoring programs targeting inorganic and organic contaminants in wildlife.
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| 3. |
- Jansson, Nils, et al.
(author)
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Controls on cobalt and nickel distribution in hydrothermal sulphide deposits in Bergslagen, Sweden : constraints from solubility modelling
- 2020
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In: GFF. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1103-5897 .- 2000-0863. ; 142:2, s. 87-95
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We address controls on Co and Ni distribution, based on their solubility in hydrothermal fluids as functions of pH, ƒO2 and T, in two end-member types of sulphide deposits in Bergslagen, Sweden. Oxidized hydrothermal fluids, as have been suggested for the formation of the Zinkgruvan deposit, would efficiently transport Co and Ni in solution, even at 150 oC. Formation of Co and Ni sulphides and sulphosalts supersedes or overlaps the precipitation of other sulphides along a reduction or H2S-mixing path. This is consistent with the presence of Co and Ni sulphides and sulphosalts in vent-proximal Cu-Zn mineralization at Zinkgruvan.Reduced, acidic and hot (≥250 oC) hydrothermal fluids that have been invoked for the formation of deposits like Falun and Stollberg could also transport Co and Ni in solution. However, their solubility is strongly dependent on high T and low pH. Cooling and neutralization are here proposed as likely key triggers for the deposition of Co and Ni, yet, unlike in the Zinkgruvan scenario, saturation will occur within the pyrite stability field, whereby these metals may be sequestered as stoichiometric lattice substitutions in pyrite and other sulphides rather than forming minerals of their own.We conclude that at any T or realistic pH, hydrothermal systems involving oxidized brines have a greater ability to traverse and leach large rock volumes of Co and Ni. Consequently, areas hosting deposits that formed from such brines have a significant exploration potential for these metals, even in areas where Co-enriched source rocks are lacking or subordinate.
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| 4. |
- Ecke, Frauke, et al.
(author)
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Landscape structure and the long-term decline of cyclic grey-sided voles in Fennoscandia
- 2010
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In: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 25:4, s. 551-560
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Changes in forest landscape structure have been suggested as a likely contributing factor behind the long-term decline in the numbers of cyclic grey-sided voles (Clethrionomys rufocanus) in northern Fennoscandian lowland regions in contrast to mountain regions due to the absence of forest management in the mountains. This study, for the first time, formally explored landscape structure in 29 lowland (LF) and 14 mountain forest (MF) landscapes (each 2.5 x 2.5 km) in northern Sweden, and related the results to the cumulated spring trapping index of the grey-sided vole in 2002-2006. The grey-sided vole showed striking contrasts in dynamics close in space and time. The MF landscapes were characterized by larger patches and less fragmentation of preferred forest types. The grey-sided vole was trapped in all of 14 analyzed MF landscapes but only in three out of 29 of the LF landscapes. MF and LF landscapes with grey-sided vole occurrence were characterized by similar focal forest patch size (mean 357 ha, minimum 82 ha and mean 360 ha, minimum 79 ha, respectively). In contrast, these MF compared to the LF landscapes were characterized by larger patches of preferred forest types and less fragmented preferred forest types and by a lower proportion of clear-cut areas. The present results suggest that landscape structure is important for the abundance of grey-sided voles in both regions. However, in the mountains the change from more or less seasonal dynamics to high-amplitude cycles between the mid 1990s and 2000s cannot be explained by changes in landscape structure.
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| 5. |
- Juhlin, C., et al.
(author)
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Crustal reflectivity near the Archean-Proterozoic boundary in northern Sweden and implications for the tectonic evolution of the area
- 2002
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In: Geophysical Journal International. - 0956-540X .- 1365-246X. ; 150:1, s. 180-197
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sm–Nd isotope ratios of 1.9–1.8 Ga granitoids delineate the Archaean–Proterozoic boundary in northern Sweden, an important feature in the Fennoscandian Shield. The boundary strikes approximately WNW–ESE and is defined as a c. 20 km wide zone with juvenile Palaeoproterozoic rocks to the SSW and Archaean and Proterozoic rocks, derived to a large extent from Archaean sources, to the NNE. It therefore constitutes the strongly reworked margin of the old Archaean craton. Extrapolation of the boundary offshore into the Bothnian Bay and correlation with the marine reflection seismic BABEL Lines 2 and 3/4 indicates that the boundary dips to the south-southwest, consistent with interpretation of the Sm–Nd data. In order to tie the BABEL results with onshore surface geology and obtain detailed images of the uppermost crust a short (30 km of subsurface coverage) pilot profile was acquired in the Luleå area of northern Sweden during August 1999. The profile consisted of a high-resolution shallow component (1 kg shots) and a lower-resolution deep component (12 kg shots). Both components image most of the reflective crust, with the deep component providing a better image below 10 s. Comparison of signal penetration curves with data acquired over the Trans-Scandinavian Igneous Belt (a large batholith) indicate the transparent nature of the crust there to be caused by geological factors, not acquisition parameters. Lower crustal reflectivity patterns on the Luleå test profile are similar to those observed on the BABEL lines, suggesting the same lower crust onshore as offshore. Interpreted Archaean reflective upper crust in the NE extends below more transparent Proterozoic crust in the SW. This transparent crust contains a number of high-amplitude reflectors that may represent shear zones and/or mafic rock within granite intrusions. A marked boundary in the magnetic field in the SW has been interpreted as being the result of a gently west-dipping contact zone between meta-sediments and felsic volcanic rocks, however, the seismic data indicate a near-vertical structure in this area. By correlating the onshore and offshore seismic data we have better defined the location of the Archaean–Proterozoic boundary on the BABEL profiles. Our new interpretation of the crustal structure along the northern part of the BABEL Line 2 shows a more bi-vergent geometry than previous interpretations. Comparison of the re-interpreted crustal structure in northern Sweden with that found in the Middle Urals shows several similarities, in particular the accretion of a series of arcs to a stable craton. Based on this similarity and geological data, we deduce that a continental arc accreted to the southwestern margin of the Archaean craton at c. 1.87 Ga. Shortly thereafter, the Skellefte island arc underthrust the continental arc owing to a collision further to the southwest resulting in the bi-vergent crustal structure observed today.
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| 6. |
- Logan, Leslie, 1992-, et al.
(author)
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Energy Drive for the Kiruna Mining District Mineral System(s): Insights from U-Pb Zircon Geochronology
- 2022
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In: Minerals. - : MDPI. - 2075-163X. ; 12:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Kiruna mining district, Sweden, known for the type locality of Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits, also hosts several Cu-mineralized deposits including iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG), exhalative stratiform Cu-(Fe-Zn), and structurally controlled to stratabound Cu +/- Au. However the relationship between the IOA and Cu-systems has not been contextualized within the regional tectonic evolution. A broader mineral systems approach is taken to assess the timing of energy drive(s) within a regional tectonic framework by conducting U-Pb zircon geochronology on intrusions from areas where Cu-mineralization is spatially proximal. Results unanimously yield U-Pb ages from the early Svecokarelian orogeny (ca. 1923-1867 Ma including age uncertainties), except one sample from the Archean basement (2698 +/- 3 Ma), indicating that a distinct thermal drive from magmatic activity was prominent for the early orogenic phase. A weighted average Pb-207/Pb-206 age of 1877 +/- 10 Ma of an iron-oxide-enriched gabbroic pluton overlaps in age with the Kiirunavaara IOA deposit and is suggested as a candidate for contributing mafic signatures to the IOA ore. The results leave the role of a late energy drive (and subsequent late Cu-mineralization and/or remobilization) ambiguous, despite evidence showing a late regional magmatic-style hydrothermal alteration is present in the district.
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| 7. |
- Suteerasak, Thongchai, et al.
(author)
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Deposition rates and C-14 apparent ages of Holocene sediments in the Bothnian Bay of the Gulf of Bothnia using paleomagnetic dating as a reference
- 2017
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In: Marine Geology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0025-3227 .- 1872-6151. ; 383, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three 6-m-long cores of sediments were collected in the northern, middle and southern part of the Bothnian Bay. The sediments were dated by paleomagnetic dating techniques, constrained by magnetic properties and geochemical data. The results indicate the ages of the sediments in the bottom part of the cores in the northern, middle and southern parts of the Bothnian Bay to be approximately 5300 years BP, 5350 years BP and 3500 years BP, respectively. The deposition rate calculated from the estimated ages at various depths show that the deposition rate was generally in the range 0.5-1.5 mm/year but it was higher in the southern part than in the middle and northern parts of the bay. There was a significant increase in the deposition rate at ca 2200 years BP, recorded in all three cores, a rate varying between 2.47 and 3.07 mm/year and lasting until ca 1840 years BP. A proposed constant uplift rate of the crust during the period ca 5500 years BP to present is thus not reflected by a constant deposition rate. The peaks in deposition rates at ca 2200-1840 years BP were followed by a decrease in salinity. This phenomenon is suggested to be caused by crustal uplift, with a threshold being formed in the southern part of the bay, thereby increasing the reactivation of bottom sediments and reducing the inflow of brackish water from the Bothnian Sea. The C-14 ages of the sediments reveal differences in age compared with the paleomagnetic ages. In the southern core, the C-14 ages are ca 1350 years older, and in the north, the age offset is mixed. The reactivation and re-deposition of sediments is argued to be the reason for the apparent C-14 age differences. This finding demonstrates that C-14 cannot be used for the dating of Bothnian Bay sediments unless the radiocarbon age offset has been determined.
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| 8. |
- Conrad, Sarah, et al.
(author)
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Seasonal Variations of Redox State in Hemiboreal Soils Indicated by Changes of δ56Fe, Sulfate, and Nitrate in Headwater Streams
- 2019
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In: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2472-3452. ; 3:12, s. 2816-2823
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During recent decades, much focus has been put on the iron (Fe) isotope ratios in soils, rivers, and oceans, while studies on the variation in headwater streams are scarce. Here we assess seasonal water chemical data from 104 hemiboreal headwater streams. Between summer and late autumn, decreasing Fe concentrations and simultaneously increasing sulfate and nitrate concentrations suggest a shift from reduced to oxidized conditions in the soils along the main groundwater flow paths. Fe isotope data, obtained from a subpopulation of 16 streams, show low δ56Fe ratios during summer drought, indicating an important influx of reduced groundwater to the streams with primarily Fe(II) as an important Fe source. In total, the δ56Fe data ranged between −0.8 ± 0.1 and 1.8 ± 0.1‰ with the lowest values in summer and maximum δ56Fe ratios in late autumn or spring, indicating an influx of more oxidized, less Fe(II) rich groundwater during those seasons. Local differences in δ56Fe ratios between the headwater streams, seemed to be driven by the different soil redox status of the catchments. The streams with the lowest δ56Fe ratios during summer are characterized by a small share (4.4 ± 6.6%) of wetlands, indicating discharge of reduced groundwater from mainly anoxic, moist, organic-rich mineral soils during drought. Relatively high total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations (2.4 ± 1.1 mM) and low pH (5.2 ± 0.8) may have restricted efficient Fe(II) oxidation in streamwater especially during the late autumn survey. Our results from hemiboreal headwater streams reveal the importance of climatic, pedogenic, and land cover-derived controls on the provenance of stream Fe loads that is likely broadly applicable to similar streams elsewhere.
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| 9. |
- Granlund, Nils, et al.
(author)
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Laboratory study of the influence of salinity on the relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow
- 2010
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In: Hydrological Processes. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0885-6087 .- 1099-1085. ; 24:14, s. 1981-1984
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Snow water equivalent of a snowpack can be estimated using ground-penetrating radar from the radar wave two-way travel time. However, such estimates often have low accuracy when the snowpack contains liquid water. If snow wetness is known, it is possible to take it into account in the estimates; it is therefore desirable to be able to determine snow wetness from already available radar data. Our approach is based on using radar wave attenuation, and it requires that the relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow should be known. This relationship has been tentatively established in previous laboratory experiments, but only for a specific liquid water salinity and radar frequency. This article presents the results of new laboratory experiments conducted to investigate if and how this relationship is influenced by salinity. In each experiment, a certain amount of snow was melted and a known amount of salt (different for different experiments) was added to the water. Water salinity was measured, and the water was added step-wise to a one-meter thick snowpack, with radar measurements taken between additions of water. Our experiments have confirmed the earlier established linear relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow, and they allow us to suggest that the influence of liquid water salinity on electrical conductivity is negligible when compared to the influence of liquid water content in snow.
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| 10. |
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