The Andaman Islands, the central part of Burma-Java subduction complex, expose tectonostratigraphic units of an accretionary prism in an outer-arc setting and turbidites of a forearc setting. A number of N-S-trending dismembered ophiolite slices of Cretaceous age, occurring at different structural levels with Eocene trench-slope sediments, were uplifted and emplaced by a series of E-dipping thrusts. Subsequently, N-S normal and E-W strike-slip faults resulted in the development of a forearc basin with deposition of Oligocene and Mio-Pliocene sediments. Metapelites and metabasics of greenschist to amphibolite grade occur in a melange zone of ophiolites. The Eocene Mithakhari Group represents pelagic trench sediments and coarser clastics derived from ophiolites. Evidence of frequent facies changes, predominance of mass flow deposits, syn-sedimentary basinal disturbance and wide palaeogeographic variation indicate deposition of Eocene sediments in isolated basins of an immature trench-slope setting. Deposition of the Oligocene Andaman Flysch Group in a forearc setting is indicated by the large-scale persistence of beds, lack of small-scale lithological variation, bimodal provenance, less deformation, a well-defined submarine fan sequence and development predominantly on the eastern part of the outer arc. The Mio-Pliocene Archipelago Group includes alternations of siliciclastic turbidites and subaqueous pyroclastic flow deposits in the lower part and carbonate turbidites in the upper part, suggesting its deposition in the shallower forearc compared to the siliciclastic Oligocene sediments.

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Numerical groundwater flow modeling, reverse particle tracking, and environmental tracers are used to locate the source of geogenic As affecting an aquifer in West Bengal. The aquifer is hosted by point-bar sands deposited in a meandering fluvial environment. Wells tapping the aquifer exhibit As concentrations up to 531 lg/L. High-As groundwaters are recharged in ponds marking an abandoned river channel. The source of As is traced to the underlying fine-grained channel-fill sediments. Arsenic release within these sediments is accompanied by a concomitant release of Br and DOC indicating that these species may be decay products of natural organobromines codeposited along with As. Mass transfer of As to the dissolved phase and its flushing from source sediments are described using a simplified reactive solute transport model. Based on this model, a characteristic reaction time for mass transfer is estimated at 6.7 years. Average groundwater residence times in the source are estimated to have declined from 16.6 to 6.6 years with the advent of intensive irrigation pumping. The ratio of residence and reaction times, a Damk€ ohler number, has declined correspondingly from 2.49 to 0.99, indicating a shift from transport to reaction rate limited As mobilization. Greater insight into the As problem in SE Asia may be achieved by shifting the focus of field investigations from aquifers to potential contamination sources in aquitards.

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Arsenic (As) mobilization in alluvial aquifers is caused by a complex interplay of hydro-geo-microbiological activities. Nevertheless, diversity and biogeochemical significance of indigenous bacteria in Bengal Delta Plain are not well documented. We have deciphered bacterial community compositions and metabolic properties in As contaminated groundwater of West Bengal to define their role in As mobilization. Groundwater samples showed characteristic high As, low organic carbon and reducing property. Culture-independent and -dependent analyses revealed presence of diverse, yet near consistent community composition mostly represented by genera Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Brevundimonas, Polaromonas, Rhodococcus, Methyloversatilis and Methylotenera. Along with As-resistance and -reductase activities, abilities to metabolize a wide range carbon substrates including long chain and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and HCO3, As3+ as electron donor and As5+/Fe3+ as terminal electron acceptor during anaerobic growth were frequently observed within the cultivable bacteria. Genes encoding cytosolic As5+ reductase (arsC) and As3+ efflux/transporter [arsB and acr3(2)] were found to be more abundant than the dissimilatory As5+ reductase gene arrA. The observed metabolic characteristics showed a good agreement with the same derived from phylogenetic lineages of constituent populations. Selected bacterial strains incubated anaerobically over 300 days using natural orange sand of Pleistocene aquifer showed release of soluble As mostly as As3+ along with several other elements (Al, Fe, Mn, K, etc.). Together with the production of oxalic acid within the biotic microcosms, change in sediment composition and mineralogy indicated dissolution of orange sand coupled with As/Fe reduction. Presence of arsC gene, As5+ reductase activity and oxalic acid production by the bacteria were found to be closely related to their ability to mobilize sediment bound As. Overall observations suggest that indigenous bacteria in oligotrophic groundwater possess adequate catabolic ability to mobilize As by a cascade of reactions, mostly linked to bacterial necessity for essential nutrients and detoxification.

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