Author Correction: Evidence for a serpentinized plate interface favouring continental subduction.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Evidence for a serpentinized plate interface favouring continental subduction.

The dynamics of continental subduction is largely controlled by the rheological properties of rocks involved along the subduction channel. Serpentinites have low viscosity at geological strain rates. However, compelling geophysical evidence of a serpentinite channel during continental subduction is still lacking. Here we show that anomalously low shear-wave seismic velocities are found beneath the Western Alps, along the plate interface between the European slab and the overlying Adriatic mantle. We propose that these seismic velocities indicate the stacked remnants of a weak fossilised serpentinite channel, which includes both slivers of abyssal serpentinite formed at the ocean floor and mantle-wedge serpentinite formed by fluid release from the subducting slab. Our results suggest that this serpentinized plate interface may have favoured the subduction of continental crust into the upper mantle and the formation/exhumation of ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks, providing new constraints to develop the conceptual and quantitative understanding of continental-subduction dynamics.

Plate tectonics influence on geogenic arsenic cycling: From primary sources to global groundwater enrichment.

More than 100 million people around the world are endangered by geogenic arsenic (As) in groundwater, residing in sedimentary aquifers. However, not all sedimentary aquifers are groundwater As enriched, and the ultimate source of As in enriched aquifer sediments is yet-unknown, globally. A reconnaissance of the major aquifers suggests that major As enriched aquifers are predictably systematic on a global scale, existing in sedimentary foreland basins in the vicinity of modern or ancient orogenic systems. In conformity with the Principle of Uniformitarianism, we demonstrate that the groundwater As comes from magmatic arcs (primary source) in present (e.g. Andes) or ancient (e.g. Himalaya) continental convergent margins of some of the most prominent orogenic systems across the globe, and ends up in sediments (secondary source) in adjoining foreland or related basins that eventually act as aquifers. These arc magmas scavenge As while rising through the deep continental crust. Erosion of such orogens ultimately increases the bulk As content in sediments of adjoining basins, leading to groundwater As enrichment in downstream aquifers. Such As-polluted aquifers are eventually extensively used for groundwater exploitation, for drinking and other human purposes. Surface geological and biogeochemical processes, like redox reactions, are conducive to such groundwater As enrichment. We suggest this model by integrating our study of long-time observations in Himalayan and Andean basin aquifers, and generalizing 63 major aquifers across the globe, to demonstrate the source-to-sink transport of As, thereby delineating it's geogenic cycling in the subsurface. This work outlines the specifics of the mechanisms that would drive the processes of groundwater As enrichment across spatio-temporal scales, i.e. tectonic-scale taking place over millions of years on continental-scale and groundwater pollution taking place at human time-scales on village to household scale. Thus, in this work, we demonstrate a direct evidence of connectivity between global geological processes and individual human health.

Bengal arsenic, an archive of Himalaya orogeny and paleohydrology.

Holocene groundwater in many districts of the West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh are enriched in arsenic enhancing poisoning effect on humans. One of the main problems to depict the source of arsenic is that this element is very mobile and can be easily removed and recombined from the source during alteration processes, transport and mobilization in sediments. The Ganga-Brahmaputra river system mainly contributed to the buildup of the Bengal fan, which is considered one of the largest modern deltas of the world, then the possible source of the As has probably to be search within the Himalayan belt. We propose that the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone dominated by arc-related rocks and more particularly by large volume of serpentinites enriched in arsenic could be one of the primary source of arsenic. The fact that, the present day arsenic concentration in the main Himalayan river, and particularly the Siang-Brahmaputra river system is not so high as expected can be explained by strong aridic conditions present day prevailing in the Indus-Suture zone and do not favored the weathering of serpentinites into As rich-smectite and Fe-hydroxydes. For the Ganga basin, the original source of arsenic has to be search in the weathering of arc related rocks in the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone followed by its intermediate storage into the sediments of the Siwalik foreland basin, playing the role of arsenic reservoir from Miocene to Pleistocene. Intense tectonic activity in the front of the Himalayan belt associated with high rainfall conditions during the Holocene allowed the arsenic to be remobilized and transported toward the Bay of Bengal.

Arthroscopic treatment of capitellum fracture of the humerus.

This case report presents a type I Hahn-Steinthal capitellum fracture treated by screw fixation under arthroscopic control. It is the first published case of the use of this technique. The 3 types of capitellum fractures and different methods for treatment are described: functional treatment, open surgery, and arthroscopic surgery. The arthroscopic approach allows a precise reduction and fixation of the articular fragment with a better evaluation of associated lesions compared with the open surgery. Arthroscopic fixation minimizes the damage to periarticular soft tissues and has a lower morbidity compared with open surgery.