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P. J. Aruscavage

Publications and source records attributed to P. J. Aruscavage.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2012

Uniformity and diversity in the composition of mineralizing fluids from hydrothermal vents on the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge

Abundances of Li, Na, K, Rb, Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Si have been determined in fluid samples from seven vents located in three areas on the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge. The hydrothermal component estimated from the Mg contents of the samples ranges from 7% to 76%. Concentrations of Fe and Si, among other elements, in acid-stabilized solutions appear to be generally representative of the parental hydrothermal fluids, but some Zn determinations and most Ba values appear to be too low. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that the acidified samples remain supersaturated with respect to silica, barite, and pyrite; unacidified samples are supersaturated, in addition, with respect to ZnS, FeS, and many silicate phases. Within the constraints of limited sampling there appear to be differences in fluid compositions both within and between the three vent areas. Some uniform differences in the elemental abundances predicted for hydrothermal end-member fluids might be due to inmixing of fresh seawater at depth in the hydrothermal system. The Juan de Fuca hydrothermal fluids contain more Fe but otherwise have relative elemental abundances fairly similar to those in 13°N (East Pacific Rise) fluids, albeit at higher levels. In contrast, fluids from 21°N (East Pacific Rise) and Galapagos have lower K/Rb and much lower Sr and Na abundances; these compositional features probably result from interaction of these fluids with a different mineral assemblage, possibly more mature greenstone.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗
USGS1987

Composition of fluid inclusions in Permian salt beds, Palo Duro Basin, Texas, U.S.A.

Several methods have been developed and used to extract and chemically analyze the two major types of fluid inclusions in bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. Data on the ratio K: Ca: Mg were obtained on a few of the clouds of tiny inclusions in "chevron" salt, representing the brines from which the salt originally crystallized. Much more complete quantitative data (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Sr, Cl, SO4 and Br) were obtained on ??? 120 individual "large" (mostly ???500 ??m on an edge, i.e., ??? ??? 1.6 ?? 10-4 g) inclusions in recrystallized salt. These latter fluids have a wide range of compositions, even in a given piece of core, indicating that fluids of grossly different composition were present in these salt beds during the several (?) stages of recrystallization. The analytical results indicating very large inter-and intra-sample chemical variation verify the conclusion reached earlier, from petrography and microthermometry, that the inclusion fluids in salt and their solutes are generally polygenetic. The diversity in composition stems from the combination of a variety of sources for the fluids (Permian sea, meteoric, and groundwater, as well as later migrating ground-, formation, or meteoric waters of unknown age), and a variety of subsequent geochemical processes of dissolution, precipitation and rock-water interaction. The compositional data are frequently ambiguous but do provide constraints and may eventually yield a coherent history of the events that produced these beds. Such an understanding of the past history of the evaporite sequence of the Palo Duro Basin should help in predicting the future role of the fluids in the salt if a nuclear waste repository is sited there. ?? 1987.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS1984

Ferromanganese crust resources in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Ferromanganese crusts on raised areas of the ocean floor have joined abyssal manganese nodules and hydrothermal sulfides as potential marine resources. Significant volumes of cobalt-rich (about 1% Co) crusts have been identified to date within the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Central Pacific: in the NW Hawaiian Ridge and Seamount region and in the seamounts in the Johnston Island and Palmyra Island regions. Large volumes of lower grade crusts, slabs, and nodules are also present in shallow ( greater than 1000 m) waters on the Blake plateau, off Florida-South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. Data on ferromanganese crusts have been increased by recent German and USGS cruises, but are still sparse, and other regions having crust potential are under current investigation. The authors discuss economic potentials for cobalt-rich crusts in the Central Pacific and Western North Atlantic oceans, with special reference to US EEZ areas. Additional research is needed before more quantitative resource estimates can be made.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1984

Ferromanganese micronodules from the surficial sediments of Georges Bank

Ferromanganese micronodules have been found on Georges Bank, off the U.S. northeast coast, distributed throughout the surficial sediments within an area about 125 km long and at least 12 km wide. These coarse, sand-sized concretions have precipitated from metal-rich interstitial waters and contain many of the textural and structural features common to other neritic nodules. Most of the nodules have accreted around detrital grains, and X-ray powder diffraction analyses indicate the presence of geothite and vernadite (  -MnO 2 ) in the ferromanganese layers. Chemical analyses of the micronodules, when compared with similar data on deep-sea manganese nodules, reveal lower Mn/Fe ratios, significantly higher concentrations of V and As, comparable values of Mo, and an order of magnitude less of Co, Ni, Ce and most other metals.

Georges Bank↗
USGS1983

Platinum-group elements in rocks from the voikar-syninsky ophiolite complex, Polar Urals, U.S.S.R.

Analyses of platinum-group elements (PGE) in rocks collected from the Voikar-Syninsky ophiolite in the Polar Urals suggest that the distribution and geochemistry of PGE in this Paleozoic ophiolite are similar to those in Mesozoic ophiolites from elsewhere. Chondrite-normalized PGE patterns for chromitite, the tectonite unit, and ultramafic and mafic cumulate unit have negative slopes. These results are similar to those found for chromitites from other ophiolites; stratiform chromities show positive slopes. If the magmas that form both types of chromitite originate from similar mantle source material with respect to PGE content, the processes involved must be quite different. However, the distinct chondrite-normalized PGE patterns may reflect differing source materials. ?? 1983 Springer-Verlag.

Mineralium Deposita↗
USGS1983

An ion-selective electrode method for determination of chlorine in geological materials

A method is presented for the determination of chlorine in geological materials, in which a chloride-selective ion electrode is used after decomposition of the sample with hydrofluoric acid and separation of chlorine in a gas-diffusion cell. Data are presented for 30 geological standard materials. The relative standard deviation of the method is estimated to be better than 8% for amounts of chloride of 10 μg and greater.

Talanta↗
USGS1981

Concentration of some platinum-group metals in coal

New data on some platinum group metals in coal indicate that the concentration of Pt is generally less than about 5 ppb, that of Pd is generally less than 1 ppb, and that of Rh is generally less than 0.5 ppb. No conclusive evidence was obtained concerning the mode of occurrence of these elements in coal.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS1981

Geochemical evidence for modern sediment accumulation on the continental shelf off southern New England

An area of fine-grained sediment approximately 170 km x 74 km in size, located in water depths between 60 m and 150 m, south of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., is a site of modern sediment deposition. The 14 C ages systematically increase with sediment depth from about 1,300 years B.P. at the surface to 8,000-10,000 years B.P. at the depth of maximum core penetration. The old age for the surface sediments probably results from a combination of deposition of old carbon and faunal mixing. In the finest sediments, the sedimentation rates were approximately 130 cm/1,000 yrs when deposition began and have decreased to about 25 cm/1,000 yrs. The decreasing sedimentation rate reflects a diminishing source of fine sediments, which presumably came from the Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals area. Inventories of excess 210 Pb in undisturbed cores average 70 dpm/cm 2 (disintegrations per minute per square centimeter), more than two times higher than the flux of 210 Pb from the atmosphere and from 226 Ra decay in the overlying water. This additional influx of 210 Pb either must be with new fine-grained sediment material or from solutions that are stripped of their 210 Pb by particulates in the bottom nepheloid layer. Stable Pb concentrations in surface sediments are about 28 ppm, as much as two times higher than concentrations at depth. The high accumulation rates, 210 Pb inventories, and trace-metal profiles imply that this area is a modern sink for fine-grained sediments and for pollutants associated with particulate matter in the water column. To our knowledge, this is the only site of present-day natural deposition on the Continental Shelf off the eastern United States, exclusive of the Gulf of Maine. Because the net currents on the outer half of this Continental Shelf flow from northeast to southwest, this fine-grained deposit may receive its sediments and possible contaminants from the Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank regions.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1979

The determination of lead in 13 USGS standard rocks

Lead was determined in 13 U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks by graphite furnace atomization and atomic-absorption spectrometry after extraction of lead with diethylammonium diethyldithiocarbamic acid. An analysis of variance of the results obtained from a random sampling of three different bottles of each standard rock showed no heterogeneity among bottles, at the F0.95 level, for a 100-mg sample-size. The relative error of the method, based on the standard deviation of the mean within bottles, was generally less than 10%.

Talanta↗
USGS1977

Thallium contents of 16 USGS standard rocks

Thallium was determined in 16 USGS standard rocks by atomic absorption spectroscopy in which a heated graphite atomizer was used after extraction as thallium iodide into amyl acetate. Four subsamples from four bottles of each standard sample, except G-1 and W-1, were analyzed in random order, and the average thallium contents in parts per million (as Tl) were AGV-1, 0.41; GSP-1, 1.63; G-2, 1.08; BCR-1, 0.35; SDC-1, 0.80; MAG-1, 0.79; BHVO-1, 0.049; SCO-1, 0.79; SGR-1, 0.34; QLO-1, 0.23; RGM-1, 1.07 ; STM-1, 0.30; DTS-1, <0.005; and PCC-1, <0.005. The analysis of variance showed that all samples may be considered homogeneous at F 0.975 and only GSP-1 may be considered heterogeneous at F 0.95 . The Tl contents of G-1 and W-1 are 1.0 and 0.12 ppm, respectively.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1972

A neutron activation analysis procedure for the determination of uranium, thorium and potassium in geologic samples

A neutron activation analysis procedure was developed for the determination of uranium, thorium and potassium in basic and ultrabasic rocks. The three elements are determined in the same 0.5-g sample following a 30-min irradiation in a thermal neutron flux of 2·10 12 n·cm −2 ·sec −1 . Following radiochemical separation, the nuclides 239 U (T=23.5 m), 233 Th (T=22.2 m) and 42 K (T=12.36 h) are measured by β-counting. A computer program is used to resolve the decay curves which are complex owing to contamination and the growth of daughter activities. The method was used to determine uranium, throium and potassium in the U. S. Geological Survey standard rocks DTS-1, PCC-1 and BCR-1. For 0.5-g samples the limits of detection for uranium, throium and potassium are 0.7, 1.0 and 10 ppb, respectively.

Journal of Radioanalytical Chemistry↗