Subduction Zones of the Caribbean : the sedimentary, magmatic, metamorphic and ore-deposit records UNESCO/iugs igcp Project 546 Subduction Zones of the Caribbean

The International Union of Geosciences (IUGS) and UNESCO IGCP project 546 Subduction Zones of the Caribbean (http://www.ugr.es/~agcasco/igcp546/) was launched in 2007 and scheduled to be completed by the end of the current year 2011. It was set up with the aim of gathering researchers interested in the geological evolution of the Caribbean realm. The development of this region is largely controlled by a number of subduction zones that formed along its margins from the break-up of Pangea during the Jurassic until Present. The current setting is characterized by a very complex plate-tectonic configuration dominated by subduction zones, large-scale strike-slip faults, volcanic arcs and collision belts (Figure 1). The project was built upon previous developments of IGCP project 433 Caribbean Plate Tectonics (2000-2005), of which the Special Volume 4 (Issue 1-2) of Geologica Acta Caribbean Plate Tectonics. Stratigraphic, Magmatic, Metamorphic and Tectonic Events (Iturralde Vinent and Lidiak, 2006) deserves mentioning

Limited genetic antagonism between premium cuts yield and intramuscular fat content in Iberian pigs

Ponencia publicada en ITEA, vol.104La producción de cerdo ibérico está orientada a la obtención de materia prima para la elaboración de productos curados de alta calidad, determinada entre otros factores por el contenido en grasa intramuscular. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo estimar las correlaciones genéticas entre el contenido de grasa intramuscular, medido mediante tecnología NIRS en M. longissimus, y los principales caracteres productivos: porcentaje de jamones, paletas y lomos del peso de la canal, y la ganancia media diaria durante el periodo de ‘Montanera’. Los registros analizados proceden de 6.103 cerdos castrados de 56 ganaderías y controlados desde 1993 al 2007 por AECERIBER. Los animales con un manejo extensivo común fueron sacrificados, en 79 lotes, a un peso medio de aproximadamente 160 kg. Las heredabilidades estimadas presentaron valores altos para todos los caracteres (0,37 a 0,48) indicando que la selección para todos los caracteres puede ser efectiva. Las correlaciones genéticas entre el porcentaje de las principales piezas nobles fueron altas y positivas (de 0,36 a 0,69) lo cual indica que dichos caracteres están en parte controlados por un mismo grupo de genes. Las correlaciones genéticas entre el contenido en grasa intramuscular y ganancia media diaria y el porcentaje de paletas no fueron significativamente diferentes de cero. Sin embargo, se estimaron efectos negativos significativos entre el contenido en grasa intramuscular y el porcentaje de jamones (-0.19 ± 0.04) y lomos (-0.23 ± 0.03). Estos valores indican que una intensa selección orientada a mejorar el porcentaje de piezas nobles de la canal, puede a medio plazo deteriorar la calidad de los productos curados en cerdos Ibéricos.The production of Iberian pigs is mainly focused to obtain raw meat to elaborate dry-cured products of high sensorial quality, mainly influenced by the intramuscular fat content. The objective of this work was to estimate the genetic correlations between intramuscular fat content in M. longissimus, measured using NIRS technology, and the main productive traits: percentages on carcass weight of hams, forelegs and loins, and the daily growth along the final fattening period. Records for this analysis came from 6,103 castrate males, born in 56 herds and controlled by AECERIBER from 1993 to 2007. All the animals were fattened with a common extensive management system and slaughtered, distributed in 79 batches, at approximately 160 kg. Heritability estimates presented high values for all the traits (ranging between 0.37 and 0.48) indicating that the selection for these traits could be effective. Genetic correlations between percentages of premium cuts were high and positive (from 0.36 to 0.69). This fact indicates that these traits are partially controlled by the same group of genes. Genetic correlations between intramuscular fat content and the daily growth and percentage of forelegs showed estimated values statistically non different from cero. However, significant negative values of genetic correlations were estimated between intramuscular fat content and the percentages of hams (-0.19 ± 0.04) and loins (-0.23 ± 0.03). These last values indicate that a strong selection in Iberian pigs focused to the improvement of the carcass percentage of premium cuts, could cause a deterioration of the meat suitability for dry-curing in a medium-time horizon

Serpentinites and serpentinites within a fossil subduction channel : La Corea mélange, eastern Cuba

A variety of metaultramafic (serpentinite) rocks in La Corea mélange, Sierra de Cristal, eastern Cuba, show differences in chemical, textural and mineralogical characteristics demonstrating a variety of protoliths. The mélange originated during the Cretaceous as part of the subduction channel associated with the Caribbean island arc. This mélange contains high pressure blocks in a serpentinite matrix and occurs at the base of the large tabular Mayarí-Cristal ophiolite. Two principal groups of serpentinites have been identified in the mélange: a) antigorite serpentinite, mainly composed of antigorite and b) antigorite-lizardite serpentinite, composed of mixtures of antigorite and lizardite and bearing distinctive porphyroblasts of diopsidic clinopyroxene. Antigorite serpentinites are closely related to tectonic blocks of amphibolite (representing subducted MORB) and constitute deep fragments of the serpentinitic subduction channel formed during hydration of the mantle wedge. The composition of the antigorite-lizardite serpentinites and the presence of clinopyroxene porphyroblasts in this type of rock suggest that abyssal lherzolite protoliths transformed into serpentinite before and during incorporation (as tectonic blocks) in the shallow part of the subduction channel. Although the studied rocks have different origin, mineralogical compositions and textures, they display similar PGE compositions, suggesting that these elements experienced no significant redistribution during metamorphism. Both types of serpentinites were exposed together in the La Corea mélange during the Late Cretaceous, during obduction of the overriding Mayarí-Baracoa ophiolitic belt that led to exhumation of the subduction channel (mélange)

Parámetros Químico-instrumental-sensoriales y quimiométricos como herramienta para discriminar entre las categorías de calidad de paletas Ibéricas curadas

A combination of physico-chemical and sensory measurements along with chemometric tools was used to authenticate the quality category of dry-cured Iberian shoulder. Depending on the confinement regime and feeding background, dry-cured Iberian shoulders from three classes were analyzed: i) pigs reared in confinement regime and fed with commercial feeds (CON class), ii) pigs reared in extensive regime and fed with commercial feeds (EXT class) and iii) pigs reared in extensive regime and fed with natural sources (grass and acorns), called Montanera regime (MON class). The principal component analysis (PCA) results discriminated among the three types of dry-cured shoulders according to their quality. The soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA), which is a classification model, enabled the characterization of the quality class of unknown dry-cured shoulder samples. Finally the Cooman´s plot and Si vs. Hi plot provide a classification for the unknown quality of dry-cured shoulders.La combinación de determinaciones físico-químicas y sensoriales con herramientas quimiométricas han sido utilizadas para identificar la calidad de paletas Ibéricas curadas. Dependiendo del grado de confinamiento y la alimentación, tres clases de paletas Ibéricas curadas fueron analizadas: i) a partir de cerdos criados en régimen intensividad y alimentados con piensos comerciales (clase CON), ii) a partir de cerdos criados en régimen de extensividad y alimentados con piensos comerciales (clase EXT) y iii) a partir de cerdos criados en régimen de extensividad y alimentados con recursos naturales (hierba y bellota) (clase MON, montanera). El análisis de componentes principales (PCA) permitió diferenciar entre tres tipos de paletas Ibéricas curadas de acuerdo con su calidad. El modelo multivariante clasificatorio, Suave Modelado Independiente de Clases Analógicas (SIMCA), permitió caracterizar la calidad de paletas curadas cuya clase se desconoce. Finalmente, las representaciones gráficas de Cooman´s y Si.vs.Hi permitieron la clasificación de la calidad de paletas Ibéricas curadas de calidad desconocida

High pressure metamorphism of ophiolites in Cuba

High-pressure metamorphic complexes of ophiolitic material in Cuba trace the evolution of the northern margin of the Caribbean Plate during the Mesozoic. In the northern ophiolite belt of western and central Cuba, these complexes document cold (i.e., mature) subduction of oceanic lithosphere. Age data indicate subduction during pre-Aptian times followed by mélange formation and uplift during the Aptian-Albian. The P-T evolution is clockwise with relatively hot geothermal gradient during exhumation (i.e., "Alpine-type"), suggesting that exhumation may have been triggered by unroofing processes ensuing arrest of subduction. It is hypothesized that tectonic processes related to termination of subduction led to formation of characteristic oscillatory zoning of garnet recorded in blocks separated by ca. 800 km along strike of the belt. In eastern Cuba, the complexes document hot subduction with peak conditions at ca. 750 ºC, 15-18 kbar followed by near-isobaric cooling (i.e., counterclockwise P-T path). The contrasting petrologic evolution in the two regions indicates that the correlation of eastern and western-central Cuban mélanges is doubtful. The age and tectonic context of formation of these hot-subduction complexes is uncertain, but available data are consistent with formation during the Aptian-Albian due to a) the birth of a new subduction zone and/or b) subduction of young oceanic lithosphere or a ridge. Furthermore, tectonic juxtaposition of high-pressure ophiolitic material and subducted platform metasediments in the Escambray complex (central Cuba) that were decompressed under relatively cold geothermal gradients ("Franciscan-type" P-T paths) indicates syn-subduction exhumation during the uppermost Cretaceous (ca. 70 Ma). The diversity of P-T paths, ages and tectonic settings of formation of the high-pressure complexes of ophiolitic material in Cuba document a protracted history of subduction at the northern margin of the Caribbean Plate during the Mesozoic

Genetic diversity of Alentejano and Iberian breeds assessed by polymorphisms of major genes

Alentejano and Iberian breeds are biogeographically located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. These breeds shared a set of common characteristics. Both are phenotypically very similar showing a low growth rate and a high intramuscular fat content and are reared under extensive systems in open range fields. The aim of the current study, carried out within the framework of the TREASURE project, intends to characterize of the genetic diversity of Alentejano and Iberian breeds using the genotyping data of 32 polymorphisms located on 26 major genes. These polymorphisms were genotyped in a total of 950 animals belonging to Alentejano, Iberian and 18 additional European breeds. The low mean values of observed (Ho) and expected (Hs) heterozygosity and FIS point out a low genetic diversity in the analyzed breeds. The genetic distances estimated using Ds and FST revealed values were close to 0 (0.005 and 0.030, respectively), suggesting that these breeds are genetically similar. The population structure analyzed with multivariate methods such as Discriminant Analysis of Principal Component and admixture analyses showed that both breeds were grouped within the same cluster. These results are supported by other authors based on mitochondrial sequences who reported short genetic distances between these breeds. Although complementary analyses using a larger number of markers should be performed, the results of the current analyses support the hypothesis of Alentejano and Iberian could be different strains of the same breed

High-pressure greenschist to blueschist facies transition in the Maimón Formation (Dominican Republic) suggests mid-Cretaceous subduction of the Early Cretaceous Caribbean Arc

The Maimón Formation (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic) is formed of metamorphosed bi-modal mafic-felsic volcanic rocks and sedimentary horizons of Early Cretaceous age deposited in the forearc of the nascent Caribbean island arc. Two structural-metamorphic zones depict an inverted metamorphic gradient: the Ozama shear zone, which records intense mylonitic and phyllonitic deformation and ubiquitous metamorphic recrystallization, tectonically overlies the much less deformed and variably recrystallized rocks of the El Altar zone. The presence of ferri-winchite and high-Si phengite, first reported in this paper, in the peak metamorphic assemblage of rocks of the Ozama shear zone (actinolite + phengite + chlorite + epidote + quartz + albite ± ferri-winchite ± stilpnomelane) point to subduction-related metamorphism. Pseudosection calculations and intersection of isopleths indicate peak metamorphic conditions of ~ 8.2 kbar at 380 °C. These figures are consistent with metamorphism in the greenschist/blueschist facies transition, burial depths of ~ 25-29 km and a thermal gradient of ~ 13-16 °C/km. Our new data dispute previous models pointing to metamorphism of Maimón rocks under a steep thermal gradient related to burial under a hot peridotite slice. Instead, we contextualize the metamorphism of the Maimón Formation in a subduction scenario in which a coherent slice of the (warm) Early Cretaceous forearc was engulfed due to intra-arc complexities and regional-scale-driven tectonic processes operating in the late Early Cretaceous. Integration of our findings with previous studies on metamorphic complexes in Hispaniola suggests that a major tectonic event affecting the whole arc system took place at c. 120-110 Ma

An Alternative Scenario on the Origin of Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) and Super-Reduced (SuR) Minerals in Ophiolitic Chromitites: A Case Study from the Mercedita Deposit (Eastern Cuba)

The origin of the assemblage of ultra-high pressure (UHP), super-reduced (SuR) and several crustally derived phases in ophiolitic chromitites is still hotly debated. In this paper, we report, for the first time, this assemblage of phases in ophiolitic chromitites of the Caribbean. We studied the Mercedita chromitite deposit in the eastern Cuban ophiolitic complexes. The mineral phases were characterized using microRaman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy with a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS), X-ray microdiffraction and electron microprobe analyses. Mineral concentrates were prepared using hydroseparation techniques. We have identified oriented clinopyroxene lamellae in chromite, oriented rutile lamellae in chromite, moissanite hosted in the altered matrix of the chromitite, graphite-like amorphous carbon, corundum and SiO2 hosted in healed fractures in chromite grains, and native Cu and Fe–Mn alloy recovered in heavy-mineral concentrates obtained by hydroseparation. This assemblage may correspond to UHP-SuR conditions, implying recycling of chromitite in the mantle or formation of the chromite grains at deep mantle depths, followed by emplacement at a shallow level in the mantle. However, the chromitite bodies contain gabbro sills oriented parallel to the elongation of the chromitite lenses, and these show no evidence of HP/UHP metamorphism. Therefore, the identified “exotic” phases may not be indicative of UHP. They formed independently as oriented clinopyroxene lamellae in chromite during cooling (clinopyroxene and rutile), in super-reduced microenvironments during the serpentinization processes, and by transference of subducted crustal material to the mantle wedge via cold plumes.This research was financially supported by the Spanish Project CGL2015-65824 granted by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” to J.A.P., the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-17596 to J.M.G.-J. and a FPU Ph.D grant to N.P.-S. by the Ministerio de Educación of the Spanish Government

Determinación de neofitadieno en grasa subcutánea de cerdo Ibérico con diferentes sistemas de alimentación

This study was carried out in order to determine the relationship between the content of a branched hydrocarbon (neophytadiene) in the subcutaneous fat and the feeding system of Iberian pigs during the fattening period previous to slaughter. Thirty-six batches of Iberian pigs, belonging to the four categories of feeding systems described in the Spanish legislation (Bellota, Recebo, Campo and Cebo) were studied. These categories differ in their degree of utilization of the natural resources (acorn and pasture) of the extensive rearing system or in their level of replacement by concentrated feed. SPE combined with GC-MS techniques were carried out to isolate and to identify hydrocarbons. Recebo and Bellota batches showed the highest levels of neophytadiene content, followed by Campo batches, and finally, batches of the Cebo category. The results showed a great variability between batches from the same feeding category, mainly from Bellota, Recebo and Campo categories, which makes the classification of the animals in these three categories difficult. However, the animals from the Cebo category were correctly classified when reared in intensive conditions.El objetivo del trabajo se centró en determinar el contenido de un hidrocarburo ramificado (neofitadieno) en la grasa subcutánea del cerdo ibérico, y su relación con el tipo de alimentación recibida durante la etapa de cebo previa al sacrificio (en la fase final de cebo). Para ello, se estudiaron treinta y seis lotes de cerdos Ibéricos, pertenecientes a las cuatro categorías de calidad en base a la alimentación de los animales establecidas en la Norma de Calidad (Bellota, Recebo, Campo y Cebo). Estas categorías se diferencian en el grado de aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales de la dehesa (bellotas y hierba) y en el nivel de sustitución de los mismos por piensos concentrados. Para el aislamiento e identificación de los hidrocarburos se utilizaron técnicas de SPE combinadas con GC-MS. Los lotes de Recebo y Bellota presentaron los mayores niveles de neofitadieno, seguidos por los lotes de Campo, y por último los lotes de Cebo. Se observó una gran variabilidad en los niveles de neofitadieno entre los lotes pertenecientes a una misma categoría de alimentación, sobre todo en los lotes de Bellota, Recebo y Campo, por lo que es difícil una correcta clasificación de los animales en las tres categorías en base al contenido en neofitadieno. Sin embargo, la clasificación dentro de la categoría de cebo se hace de forma correcta cuando los cerdos son producidos en condiciones intensivas