A Rouse-based method to integrate the chemical composition of river sediments : application to the Ganga basin

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 116 (2011): F04012, doi:10.1029/2010JF001947.The Ganga River is one of the main conveyors of sediments produced by Himalayan erosion. Determining the flux of elements transported through the system is essential to understand the dynamics of the basin. This is hampered by the chemical heterogeneity of sediments observed both in the water column and under variable hydrodynamic conditions. Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) acquisitions with sediment depth profile sampling of the Ganga in Bangladesh we build a simple model to derive the annual flux and grain size distributions of the sediments. The model shows that ca. 390 (±30) Mt of sediments are transported on average each year through the Ganga at Haring Bridge (Bangladesh). Modeled average sediment grain size parameters D50 and D84 are 27 (±4) and 123 (±9) μm, respectively. Grain size parameters are used to infer average chemical compositions of the sediments owing to a strong grain size chemical composition relation. The integrated sediment flux is characterized by low Al/Si and Fe/Si ratios that are close to those inferred for the Himalayan crust. This implies that only limited sequestration occurs in the Gangetic floodplain. The stored sediment flux is estimated to c.a. 10% of the initial Himalayan sediment flux by geochemical mass balance. The associated, globally averaged sedimentation rates in the floodplain are found to be ca. 0.08 mm/yr and yield average Himalayan erosion rate of ca. 0.9 mm/yr. This study stresses the need to carefully address the average composition of river sediments before solving large-scale geochemical budgets.This work was supported by INSU program “Relief de la Terre” and ANR Calimero. Valier Galy was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant OCE‐0851015)

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

The Pan-African quartz-syenite of Guider (north-Cameroon): Magnetic fabric and U-Pb dating of a late-orogenic emplacement

International audienceThe small Guider pluton (70 km2) in-between the cities of Maroua and Garoua (north Cameroon) is one of the quartz-syenite bodies that intrude Pan-African orthogneisses, and that are aligned along the western side of the NNE-directed Poli-Léré volcano-sedimentary corridor. The Guider syenite is here studied for its internal structures, using field and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility measurements, and for its emplacement age of 593 ± 4 Ma (U-Pb zircon), ∼20 Ma younger than the beginning of gneissification of the country-rocks, mainly made of deformed granodiorites and diorites. In these orthogneisses, constantly NNE-trending vertical foliations, variously plunging stretching lineations and fold axes, as well as kinematic markers attest to a transpressive and possibly dextral regime. The Guider syenite, rich in K-feldspar and magnetite, displays typical magmatic microstructures with incipent solid-state features such as chess-board subgrains in quartz. Its magnetic fabric displays a well-defined feeding-zone in its centre and western side, attesting to its unrooted nature. However, N- to NE-trending lineations at its northern and southern ends, parallel to the overall linear structure of the country-rocks, point to its late-orogenic emplacement. Our results reveal that the NE-trending and dextral transpressive shear zone that acted in the Guider area ended after the emplacement of the syenite body; they specify the age of collage of the NW-Cameroon domain with the Mayo-Kébbi domain. They also show that the tectonic evolution of Guider area is closer to the E-Nigerian domain, to the west, than to its eastern neighbouring Mayo-Kébbi and Adamawa-Yadé domains. The connection of our sector with E-Brazil is briefly discussed

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and magmatic structures in the Guérande Granite Massif (France)

A multidisciplinary approach has been used in order to map out the syntectonic magmatic structures of the Guérande leucogranite in southern Brittany (Western France): on one hand, extensive field work and microscopic observations, and on the other, a detailed magnetofabric investigation, have been carried out. The former showed a magmatic flow plane trending generally to the ENE‐WSW with a moderate dip to the north and a flow direction slightly dipping toward NNE. These observations suggest a blade shaped body which is not deeply rooted. The magnetofabric as defined by the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility is mainly related to hematite‐ilmenite grains with a mean rock susceptibility of about 3.10−6 G/0e. There is an excellent agreement between the magnetic lineation (Kmax) and the magmatic flow direction; the agreement between the magnetic foliation (Kmax‐Kint plane) and the magmatic flow plane is not as good. The quantitative analyses of the anisotropy allows one to group the data into two domains: the one with planolinear ellipsoids corresponding to the central part of the granitic body where flow was mainly achieved on the viscous state and the other in the flattening domain related to the northern border area which exhibits incipient orthogneissification, that is, some deformation on the solid state. Such a favorable comparison with the classical structural method is encouraging for using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility technique more routinely for structural mapping of granitic bodies, provided that the microstructural state of the rock is already well known.</p

A-type stratoid granites of Madagascar revisited: Age, source and links with the breakup of Rodinia

International audienceThe stratoid granites of Madagascar are sheet-like granite sills emplaced conformably to the schistosity of the Antananarivo and Ikalamavony domains of the Precambrian basement. Most of them are fine-grained rocks with A-type affinities. They belong to two different plutonic suites: the Kiangara Suite north of Antananarivo and the Imorona–Itsindro Suite recognized in the whole central Madagascar. Stratoid granites are everywhere characterized by the same structural pattern evidencing two deformation events. The first event (D1 characterized by foliations mildly dipping to the west and lineations trending WSW) was coeval with synkinematic magma emplacement. The second one, responsible for local reworking in ductile conditions, is regarded as the result of late Pan-African transcurrent tectonics along N–S striking shear zones. New in situ U–Pb zircon dating from both suites yields similar results evidencing two group of ages: upper intercept ages of 790–780 Ma regarded as crystallization ages, and younger ages of ca. 555 Ma corresponding to a metamorphic overprint. These new data suggest that both plutonic suites in central Madagascar were emplaced at 790–780 Ma. New Sm–Nd isotopic data from the Kiangara Suite support the existence of two granite groups. The first group has εNd(t) at −15 and is likely derived from partial melting of the late Archaean crust. The second group made of granites with a more pronounced A-type nature and comagmatic syenites has εNd(t) at −12 evidencing the contribution of mantle melts. Mafic enclaves with εNd(t) ranging from −5 to −11 encompass the Nd isotopic signature of coeval Itsindro gabbros, which are regarded as derived from a subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. The interpretation of both structural and isotopic data is consistent with crustal thinning and extension during a Cryogenian Rodinia rifting stage at 790–780 Ma, that left a major imprint in central Madagascar. Separation from a conjugage margin represented by the North China craton is suggested. The Pan-African influence is limited to reheating, tectonic reworking and fluid transfer in the vicinity of late-Neoproterozoic (∼550 Ma) shear zones

Reconnaissance géochimique sur les eaux de la lame de submersion de la vallée du Ferlo (Sénégal)

Après 32 années de sécheresse au Sahel, la vallée morte du Ferlo au Sénégal a été inondée par la crue fluviale. Cette étude comprend 3 parties : une présentation synthétique du milieu naturel, une chronique historique sur d'anciens documents cartographiques et sur le fonctionnement hydrologique du dispositif fleuve Sénégal/Lac de Guiers/vallée du Ferlo depuis le début du siècle et enfin une reconnaissance géodynamique spatiotemporelle sur la variabilité de la composition chimique des eaux essentiellement concentrées par évaporatio