This is Part II, and was summarized in LO28063 --
Dear LO' ers,
This is the beginning of part II of 'Learning from Organisations'
We know of sand and clay and limestone and gravel. That are all sediments.
In certain areas on earth, the pile of overlaying sediments becomes so
thick (several kilometres) that the lowest most sedimentary layers suffer
of great pressures and also the temperature could become fairly high. Next
to this burrying process also forces in the earth's crust that cause
mountain building could enhance pressures and temperatures. The process of
mountain building is linked with continental drift. During mountain
building sediments could be brought to even greater depths in the crust,
before they rise to the surface by a combination of complex deformations.
Yes, deformations. The original sequence of sedimentary layers becomes
wrinkled, folded and broken. Folding makes the pile even thicker. It is
common that the process of mountain building (which takes several tenths
of millions of years) occurs in phases. Usually one could decipher 4 or
five subsequent phases of folding, shearing or stretching. Usually the
researcher could also decipher several phases or periods of growth of
metamorphic minerals. For instance in figure 2, the brownish mica and the
garnet are older then the large yellow crystal. In Figures 5 and 6 are the
micas also older then the grey preditor. Phases of deformations and
mineral growth are usually relatively linked to each other. So a simple
relationship could be seen in figure 1, where the mica should be earlier
then the deformation that caused the bending.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig1.jpg
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig2.jpg
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig5.jpg
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig6.jpg
Figure 7 is a thin section of a rock which is not yet strongly
metamorphosed. The probable original sedimentary layering is still
recognisable: in the upper part of the picture is a thin sandy/quartz rich
layer observable, but the major part of the section was probably a
clay-rich layer. What we see is that the original clay particles are
recrystallised in a mass of very fine-grained new micas. On the photograph
these micas form a yellowish mass with somewhat curved lines of shading.
The micas are so small that one could hardly see individual crystals. But
the most obvious of the illustration are these zones of shading, the
wrinkling of this mica mass. In fact, it is not shading but the
orientation in respect to the polarising filters that changed the colour.
The micro-folding is seen as a small scale wave pattern. The mica-rich
layer is fairly easy to wrinkle, the quartz rich layer however, is much
more difficult. The fine mass of micas because of its flexibility cannot
withstand the deformation, but no visible recrystallisation has occurred.
BTW, this type of small scale regular wavelets is called 'crenulation'.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig7.jpg
One could consider the situation of figure 7 as a picture of a society
with a rigid upper class (the quartz rich layer) and a flexible lower
class which has to be very flexible because they have to cope with the
heaviest deformations.
Figure 8 shows a similar type of deformation. Again a regular pattern of
wavelets. And I think that we will recognise the involved minerals as
micas. Some small light-coloured quartz grains are in between the micas.
The difference with the former figure is that here recrystallisation has
taken place. We are able to recognise individual mica crystals; now
instead of following the wavelets by a complete bending, polygonal arcs of
several individual mica crystals may be observed and the whole fabric of
the rock is coarser grained. Although recrystallisation of originally very
fine grained mica in more coarser micas have taken place after the
microfolding, deformation continued so also the coarser micas became
bended. If this deformation continues even further, we could be sure that
the micas wil start to recrystallise again. They always like to be free of
internal stress and strain and like to be oriented perpendicular to the
main external stress.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig8.jpg
We could look at figure 8 as a society with originally an evenly
distributed arrangement of two different types of organizations (the
'quartzes' and the 'micas'). Deformation has forced the whole society to
reorganise to adapt to a new situation. But what strikes here is what this
deformation and reorganisation causes: a new kind of layering, layers
where the micas are concentrated and layers with more quartz in it. And
this layering (slightly inclined from the horizontal) has a large angle
(close to 90 degrees) to the original layering (still decipherable from
the general mica orientation). One could say that a combination of
recrystallisations and deformations has completely rearranged the whole
(society) and an originally random distribution will develop in a layered
society with concentrations of alike organisations.
I have shown you this picture also as step for the following illustration:
figure 9.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig9.jpg
The thin section of figure 9 is slightly too thick, and therefore the
quartz grains show now and then faint yellowish tints. I hope that you
could also see that several larger quartz grains are internally deformed
and that within one grain the colour changes (different white/grey). The
most striking of this picture however are not the quartzes but this
strange ochre-yellow material that occurs in some horizontal zones and
which is here and there also present between these zones in the quartz
rich layering. This is a very peculiar thing. Unfortunately I cannot
demonstrate it for you, but if I rotate the complete thin section under
the microscope, this ochre-yellow material changes as one unity its colour
until it may get the orientation that all of it becomes dark. What does
this mean? Yes, dear readers if you believe it or not, but this is ONE
crystal. How is this possible? It is a combination of two things. Firstly
it is the structure; it is as in figure 8 with these regular wavelets and
a newly formed layering caused by deformation. Due to the imposed internal
crystal distortions in the originally present micas, these minerals start
to recrystallise in new micas, parallel and forming this new layering.
Secondly it is as what we have seen in figures 5 and 6, the preditor-prey
situation. Under certain conditions, micas are so 'tasteful' (it means
that these minerals contain the right chemical elements for the newly
formed mineral), that a new crystal will consume them (the shapes of
former micas are still recognisable). Although a crystal strives for a
perfect internal structure and does not like foreigners as crystal-strange
elements in its body, the growing potential (free energy) could be so high
that the crystal grows like mad, consuming every mica in its surrounding
without looking for its own internal purity. All previous micas have been
disappeared through consumption by the ochre-yellow hungry crystal. You
may freely fantasise on analogies in our human world.
The sequence of events could be roughly deciphered: original sedimentary
layering, then microfolding causing a pattern of wavelets in the mica-rich
layers, but the micas are still fine grained; then recrystallisation of
mica in coarser grains forming polygonal arcs and also a new sort of
layering; then, possibly due to a temperature rise, a new mineral starts
to grow, consuming all the previous micas, the structure of the rock is
'frozen' as inclusions in the new mineral; only slight later deformations
have taken place, since the new mineral shows no signs of (internal)
distortions, only the quartz grains are slightly distorted.
Crystals are strong organisations. Their internal structure has such a
degree of perfection that they could overlive many attacks from their
surroundings. In the previous story we have seen that change in
temperature could cause a restructuring in a new organisation. Mechanical
deformation may cause interal distortions of the inner lattice, but the
outlines of the original organisation is still there; only if the defects
in the inner organisation become too much, a reorganisation starts, the
crystal reshuffles itself building a new perfect inner lattice reenforcing
itself to withstand following attacks.
We have also seen that in a 'multicultural society', composed of several
different organisations, the weakest individuals will suffer as first from
mechanical attacks. During thermal attacks mechanical strength doesn't
count so much. During such events, the 'tastiests' will be the first
victims, those who are not of interest (not able to satisfy the
temperature-driven preditor) have the best chance to survive, sometimes as
inclusions (but still alive) in the preditor.
Until now examples were chosen where either temperature, or deformation at
the end resulted in an emergence, the birth of a new more complex
organisation. This was possible because despite the mechanical/thermal
attacks from the surrounding, organisations were able to deal with these
outside agencies of imposed energy by digestive processes (see the
Digestor of At de Lange). Apparently, there was a dynamic equilibrium (see
also At's contribution on homeostasis and rheostasis).
But are there no immergences possible, destructive bifurcations? Yes. I
will show you a few examples.
Figure 10 shows such destruction - a crystal that couldn't stand the
stretching imposed on it and it finally broke. It is as if an iron bar is
stretched and at some place necking and than breaking took place. This
structure is known in geological literature as 'boudin' and the
responsible process is named 'boudinage', both French words; a 'boudin' is
a special kind of French sausage, sometimes a string of these 'sausages'
could be found in nature. Geologists have been very inventive and
fantasy-rich in giving names to phenomena in rocks and minerals.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig10.jpg
The thin section of figure 10 is somewhat different from the other
illustrations. Fig. 10 is a photograph through a microscope where the
upper polarising filter is not included. So only one filter is used. The
effect is that we see polarised white light. Although the light is
fractionised by the lower filter and the lattices of the crystals in the
thin section, we are not able to see the special effects. The large broken
mineral has also with the naked eye in the rock a blue colour. The
surroundings of the blue mineral consists mainly of quartz. The tiny small
polygons are fine garnets (with crystal faces clearly visible).
But how is it possible that this blue-coloured crystal is broken, whereas
the rest of the rock isn't?
Again, the answer is recrystallisation. One of the most common minerals in
rocks is quartz. And it is this quartz that recrystallises easily due to
changing temperatures, or due to deformations. The surroundings of the
blue mineral is mainly composed of quartz, and the quartz was able to
accomodate the stretching deformation by recrystallisation. The poor blue
mineral had not this adapting capacity.
This blue mineral has apart from the fact that it broke, some other
interesting features. Why is the core of the crystal white or light blue,
whereas towards the rims it becomes more coloured? Is this a picture of an
organisation in real life, where the core of the business is different
from the majority of the laborers? Indeed, the crystal has another
chemical composition in the core than at the rims. The reason is probably
complex. In my view the zonation of the crystal indicates that the
Pressure and Temperature of the environment during the growth changed. The
conditions during the start of the mineral were ideal for a colourless
mineral, whereas these PT conditions changed during the growth and
gradually became favorite for a more colourfull composition of the
crystal. But it could also be that during the growth the right chemical
elements became scarce and therefore the mineral that was still willing to
grow, was forced to look for other elements that could fit in the crystal
lattice. Anyway, we see here another example off an organisation wich
adapt itself to changing conditions in the surroundings (without loosing
its identity). There is also the possibilty that the colour zonation is a
later effect, and that it indicates a slow proces of colouring that
gradually progressed from the outside towards the core; as a piece of iron
that becomes rusty from the outer rims towards the core. This latter
explanation is in my view unlikely. Because if we have a closer look at
the mineral where it broke we see something peculiar. Figure 11.
http://www.learning-org.com/graphics/LO28063_fig11.jpg
Apart from the visible suffering of the stretching passing the breaking
point, you could see that the growth of the crystal continued after the
breakage! It is even possible to roughly interpreted the moment of
breaking - that was somewhere at the time that the intense blue stage
during its growth was not yet reached. Then the mineral finally broke and
the blue colour continued along the original outlines of the crystal, but
also along the fresh plane of fracture. That is why the intense blue
colour along that plane is now in direct contact with the colourless core
thus creating the colour jump near the fracture plane. So the breaking or
split of the organisation (the mineral) was not its death, but growth
continued! It is as if a leg from a seastar is cut off and both parts will
grow again to a complete living organism. Or it is like a business (or
department) that for some reason is divided in two, and both divisions
continued vividly.
This last example shows us that if the changes in the environment become
too fast, some organisations pass an immergence, whereas other
organisations (in this case the surrounding qurtzes) could adapt with
internal restructuring. Sometimes the immergence could create nuclei for
new life or continuation (with a scar) of life of separate individuals.
I come to an end.
I think that nature is full of emergences. But immergences are not rare in
nature either. Degradation is a common aspect. Degradation to less complex
organisations is in fact so common that we may forgot the usefulness of
this fenomenon. Think of rotting, or the natural production of manure.
Immergences are the food for new life.
Degradation also occurs in the organisations wich were the subject of this
contribution: the minerals and the rocks themselves.
The fact that I was able to show you examples of rocks and minerals which
were formed under high pressures and high temperatures from great depths
in the earth's crust (and I was not in that inferno to dig them out),
means that these rocks in some way came to the surface of our beautiful
planet. A surface were temperatures and pressures are very different from
the origin. Thus the environment of the studied organisations changed
again. Why are the organisations not adapted to this new environment? Why
are they as they were?
Apparently the rise of these deep rocks was so fast that gradual adaption
was not possible; the old organisation became frozen without any life. It
will become passive prey for later degradations, such as erosional
processes. But let us remind the importance of erosion: it frees chemical
elements wich could become the necessary nutrients for organisations with
a higher level of complexity at the earth's surface.
I hope that the art of nature, and particularly the microscopic world of
minerals and rocks will inspire you and that the environment of this world
has been also for you a learning environment.
Epilogue (I)
Maybe this contribution was too long and too specialised for you. If that
is the case, please enjoy the illustrations. They were chosen out of
hundreds of colour slides of thin sections. They were chosen also for
their art and richness. And I realy hope that you could enjoy these
illustrations, also without understanding them. They may stimulate your
imaginations. And that is the main thing that I had in mind.
Epilogue (II)
The pictures you have seen were part of my collections of MSc and PhD
study (in Galicia, Spain, and Italian Alps; a few are from Brazil). The
reason that I took so much handsamples during my fieldwork and then
prepared so much thin sections is the following. Studying these thin
sections under the microscope gives often a better insight in the sort
deformations and recrystallisations, and they give sometimes great clues
to the order of events during the process of mountain building. With these
micro-observations one could enrich the observations made in the field.
And the nice thing of this method is that one is able to bridge events on
microscale with macroscale. They are not independant of each other; on the
contrary, they should match. If things work out as they should do, these
micro- and macro-observations could then be matched with the observations
on a regional scale and even on mountain-scale. And this is how I have
studied the formation of the Italian Alps. I still don't understand it
:-).
In some laboratories researchers are even stuudying minerals on a
nano-scale. They study the defects in the crystal lattice. These defects,
or dislocations (atoms that do not are in their right position in the
lattice) could give clues to the kind and intensity of deformations wich
caused them.
Unfortunately, I do not have a satellite picture of Eastern Africa (the
part of Zimbabwe). I once saw such satellite picture and it was as if I
saw the structures and minerals in a thin section! I hope you could
imagine what that means, fenomena on a microscale are a picture of what
happened on a mesoscale and on the scale of a continent. And that is
something important too in the world of human organisations. What happens
in an individual could be a reflection on what happens on a global scale.
Leo Minnigh
--Minnigh <minnigh@dds.nl>
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