Geochronology and geochemistry of the Huntington Formation, Olds Ferry terrane, Blue Mountains province, northern U.S. Cordillera: Implications for accreted terrane correlation and assembly

The Olds Ferry terrane is the more inboard of two accreted volcanic arc terranes in the late Paleozoic−early Mesozoic Blue Mountains province of the northern U.S. Cordillera. We present geologic, geochronologic, and geochemical data from the volcano-sedimentary Huntington Formation of the Olds Ferry arc that place the terrane within a firm temporal and tectonomagmatic context, and establish its identity as a fringing arc terrane along the Triassic to Early Jurassic Cordilleran margin. The Huntington Formation is divided into two unconformity-bounded informal members: a Norian (ca. 220 Ma) lower member comprising a sequence of mafic-intermediate volcanics, massive volcaniclastic breccias, and minor carbonates deposited unconformably onto the 237.7 Ma Brownlee pluton and intruded by the 210.0 Ma Iron Mountain pluton; and a Rhaetian through Pleinsbachian (<210−187.0 Ma) upper member composed of massive conglomerates, abundant rhyodacite to rhyolite effusive and pyroclastic flows, and interlayered sandstone turbidites, deposited with angular unconformity onto the lower member. An erosional hiatus and regional tilting produced an angular unconformity separating the Huntington Formation from the overlying basal conglomerates of the late Early to Middle Jurassic Weatherby Formation of the Izee forearc basin transgressive onlap sequence. Huntington Formation volcanic rocks are isotopically enriched relative to depleted mantle and coeval igneous rocks in the outboard Wallowa terrane. A temporal evolution to more radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7036−0.7057) and εNd values (+5.4 to +3.1) in the upper member volcanics suggests increasing involvement of continental-derived material in their petrogenesis. Precambrian xenocrystic zircons in both lower and upper member volcaniclastic rocks strongly support a proximal location of the Olds Ferry terrane to cratonal North America during much of its history. The chronology and tectonostratigraphic architecture of the Olds Ferry terrane allows its robust correlation to other fringing-arc terranes along the U.S. and Canadian Cordillera.

Drivers to Obesity—A Study of the Association between Time Spent Commuting Daily and Obesity in the Nepean Blue Mountains Area

Obesity has become a public health challenge in every country on this planet, with a substantial contribution to global mortality and morbidity. Studies of the built environment have shown some promise in understanding the drivers of this obesity pandemic. This paper contributes to this knowledge, by focusing on one aspect of the urban environment and asking whether there is an association between commuting and obesity in residents of the Nepean Blue Mountains area on the fringes of Sydney. This is a cross-sectional study with obesity being the dependent variable, and commuting the independent variable, where 45 min or less was defined as local and distant commute was more than 45 min. In the sample of 158 respondents, the risk of obesity was twice as likely in the distant commuters than in the local commuters (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.051 to 3.962, p = 0.034). Investigation of possible mediators of this association was limited by sample size; however, mode of transport was found to be a significant mediator. The results support the design of cities to provide health supporting environments for all residents, including equitable access to employment at a reasonable distance and effective public transport.

Friluftsliv explored: An environmental and outdoor teaching approach for knowledge, emotions and quality of life

Friluftsliv explored doesn’t only include nature knowledge, techniques in the outdoors and outdoor pedagogics but also covers ecology, human ecology, geography, environmental and societal questions, history, health, biology, craft and lots of practical activities -both for urban and rural friluftsliv. In this translation to English of the revised fifth edition of the Swedish book there are many activities and the text is suitable for the modern day. Friluftsliv embraces the feeling around the campfire, paddling along winding rivers and walking towards the distant blue mountains. But, it is also to whittle a stick, to remember your waterproofs and to find your way home. Knowledge emerges when you combine imagination with facts and the glint in your eyes, using all our outdoor environments: forests, water, the coast, mountains and the nature close at hand. Emotion is to swim in crystal clear water far out in the archipelago and to see the clouds gliding across the sky. But also, to be able to present other sides of yourself, to be fascinated by your own body, the struggling ant and the sight of frost on trees. Quality of life is to experience friluftsliv – as it happens!

Country Calls: A Creative Practice of Deep Time Walking in Darug Country

This article presents my personal story, as a non-Indigenous settler woman, of walking along a ridge close to my home at the foot of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, after the fires of 2019 to 2020. In this article, I want to invite the reader into my love of this country through sharing my record of this walking over a 12-month seasonal cycle. Every walk presented me with new understandings of this Country where I live, which I already knew as Darug Country, having explored the nature of this country in collaboration with my Darug friends Jacinta and Leanne Tobin.

Atypical Christmas Eye Disease: A Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Christmas Eye Disease (CED), also known as the “Albury-Wodonga syndrome” or “Harvester's Keratitis”, is a seasonal acute corneal ulceration syndrome, which is geographically limited to Australia, specifically in the south-west region of New South Wales (NSW) and north-east region of Victoria. The mechanism of injury is unknown, but the secretions from native beetles of the genus Orthoperus have been implicated. There remains a dearth of literature on CED, particularly with atypical disease presentations. We present the first reported case of CED in the upper Blue Mountains Region, presenting atypically with mild pain and foreign body sensation. We also aim to explore the possible entomological precipitants of the disease. Case Presentation: A 77-year-old man with a 1-day history of a mildly painful red eye was found to have acute corneal ulceration. He experienced mild discomfort in his right eye while asleep and woke the following morning with persistent blur, foreign body sensation, and photophobia. He had no history of ocular trauma or chemical exposure. He reported going for daily bushwalks in the upper Blue Mountains region but did not recall any exposure to environmental or entomological precipitants. Clinical Findings and Outcomes: Slit-lamp examination revealed a substantial corneal epithelial loss in the right eye with fluorescein staining, revealing a characteristic ‘green splash’ over 90% of the cornea. Other clinical findings included marked corneal edema, moderate conjunctival injection, mild palpebral swelling, and mild papillae. No anterior uveitis was observed, and the posterior segment examination was normal. There was a considerable reduction in his right visual acuity from baseline. He was empirically treated with 1% tropicamide ocular drops, 1% chloramphenicol ointment, and lubricant ocular drops. The bacterial and viral conjunctival swabs were unremarkable. Clinical progression was self-limiting, and complete resolution of the ulcer was achieved after one month. Conclusion: CED is a clinical diagnosis, and medical practitioners should be aware of atypical features, such as the absence of debilitating pain. Additionally, our case demonstrates that the geographic distribution of CED appears to be far more extensive than previously thought, thereby raising the possibility of disease manifestation in regions not commonly associated with it. Entomological precipitants of this condition remain circumstantial and warrant further validation.

Supplemental Material: Geochronology and geochemistry of the Huntington Formation, Olds Ferry terrane, Blue Mountains province, northern U.S. Cordillera: Implications for accreted terrane correlation and assembly

Table S1: U-Pb isotopic data.

Dietary Fibre Intake and the 10-Year Incidence of Tinnitus in Older Adults

Tinnitus is the phantom perception of sound in the ears or head that increases in prevalence as age increases. With strong evidence supporting the benefits of dietary fibre for vascular health and hearing loss, intake of dietary fibre may also have a role in the prevention of tinnitus symptoms. This longitudinal study aims to determine the association between the intake of dietary fibre and other carbohydrate nutrition variables including glycaemic index (GI), glycaemic load (GL) and total carbohydrate intakes, and incident tinnitus over 10 years. Of the 1730 participants (aged ≥50 years) from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study with complete baseline data on tinnitus symptoms and carbohydrate intakes, 536 (31%) cases of tinnitus were identified and excluded from further incidence analysis. Dietary data were collected using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to determine intakes of total dietary fibre and fibre contributions from cereals, vegetables, and fruit. A purpose-built database based on Australian GI values was used to calculate mean GI. Lower versus higher intakes of fruit fibre (≤3.6 g/day vs. >3.6 g/day) and cereal fibre (≤4.2 g/day vs. >4.2 g/day) were significantly associated with a 65% (HR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.15–2.36) and 54% (HR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.07–2.22) increased risk of developing tinnitus over 10 years, respectively. Associations between intake of other carbohydrate nutrients and incident tinnitus were mostly non-significant. In summary, our study showed modest associations between intake of dietary fibre and incident tinnitus. The protective effects of fibre, particularly insoluble fibre, could underlie observed associations by reducing the risk of tinnitus via vascular risk factors such as cardiovascular disease. Further longitudinal studies evaluating different types and sources of fibre and tinnitus risk are needed to confirm our study findings.

The Influence of Concrete and Urban Water Quality On The Growth of An Invasive Weed (Salix Spp.) in One of Australia’s Most Endangered Aquatic Environments.

Riparian vegetation along urban streams and wetlands is frequently dominated by invasive weeds. Elevated nitrogen and phosphorous in urban waters and soils are well-known to encourage invasive urban weeds, but this research demonstrates that other urban geochemical contaminants may also be influential. Previous studies have demonstrated that the dissolution of urban concrete is a poorly recognised source of modified water and soil geochemistry, which may enhance the growth of some invasive weeds. This study investigated the relationship between urban water quality and the growth of an invasive urban riparian weed, willow (Salix spp.) to examine the contribution of concrete materials. The study used water from a wetland in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. These wetlands have a unique biodiversity but are fragile and susceptible to degradation from human activity. Many are in urban catchments and are frequently dominated by invasive weeds, including Salix spp. In this study, willow cuttings were grown in a laboratory using four water treatments: pristine, urban, and pristine water exposed to two different concrete materials. The urban and concrete water treatments had higher pH, salinity, calcium, potassium, and higher concentration of several metals and were associated with increased growth of Salix spp. We suggest that the modification of urban water and riparian soil chemistry by urban concrete materials may contribute to the success of invasive species in urban wetlands and riparian zones. Some metals (barium, strontium) were present in urban water and in pristine water exposed to concrete and bioaccumulated in plant tissue.

Supplemental Material: Geochronology and geochemistry of the Huntington Formation, Olds Ferry terrane, Blue Mountains province, northern U.S. Cordillera: Implications for accreted terrane correlation and assembly

Table S1: U-Pb isotopic data.