Atmospheric gravity wave propagation direction observed by airglow imaging in the South American sector

Airglow all sky imaging observation has been carried out in three different locations in south America, at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45.0°W) in 1999, São João do Cariri (7.5°S, 36.5°W) in 2001 and Boa Vista (2.8°N, 60.7°W) in 2002. Comparing the atmospheric gravity wave characteristics retrieved from the image data for the three different sites and including a previous work at Alcântara (2.3°S, 44.5°W) carried out by Taylor et al. [1997. Journal of Geophysical Research 102 (D22) 26,283–26,299], we found that there is a preferential propagation direction, from the Continent to the Atlantic Ocean. The observed wave propagation directions reveal that a major part of the waves have their direction from Continent toward Ocean. The possible source of the wave generation is discussed.     

The geoid in southeastern Brazil and adjacent regions: new constraints on density distribution and thermal state of the lithosphere

Least-squares collocation technique was used to process regional gravity data of the SE South American lithospheric plate in order to map intermediate (10–2000 km) wavelength geoid anomalies. The area between 35–10° S and 60–25° W includes the Paraná CFB Province, the Southern São Francisco Craton and its marginal fold/thrust belts, the Brazilian continental margin and oceanic basins. The main features in the geoid anomaly map are: (a) Paraná CFB Province is characterized by a 1000 km long and 500 km wide, NE-trending, 9 m-amplitude negative anomaly which correlates with the distribution of sediments and basalts within the Paraná basin. (b) A circular (600–800 km in diameter) positive, 8 m-amplitude geoid anomaly is located in the southern S. Francisco craton and extends into the northeastern border of the Paraná CFB Province. This anomaly partially correlates with Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province (APIP), where alkalic volcanism and tholeiitic dikes of ages younger than 80 Ma are found and where a low-velocity zone in the mantle has been mapped using seismic tomography. This positive geoid anomaly extends towards the continental margin at latitude 21° S and joins a linear sequence of short wavelength positive geoid anomalies associated with Vitoria–Trindade seamounts. (c) A NE-trending, 1000 km long and 800 km wide, 4 m-amplitude, positive geoid anomaly, which is located along the southeastern coast of Brazil, from latitude 24 to 35° S. The northern part of this anomaly correlates with the Ponta Grossa Arch and Florianopolis dyke swarm provinces. The age of this intrusive volcanism is 130–120 Ma. (d) A circular positive anomaly with 9 m of amplitude, located over the Rio Grande and Uruguay shields and offshore Pelotas basin. Few alkaline intrusives with ages between 65 and 80 Ma are found in the region and apatite fission track ages in basement rocks indicates cooling at around 30 Ma. A semi-quantitative analysis of the observed geoid anomalies using isostatic considerations suggests that the mechanism which generated Paraná CFB Province did not change, in a significant manner, the lithospheric thermal structure, since the same geoid pattern observed within this province continues northward over the Neoproterozoic fold/thrust belts systems separating the São Francisco and Amazon cratons. Therefore, this observation favours Anderson’s idea of rapid basaltic outpouring through a pull-apart mechanism along a major suture zone. A thermal component may still be present in the Southern São Francisco Craton and in the Rio Grande Shield and contiguous continental margins, sites of Tertiary thermal and magmatic reactivations.     

Paleomagnetic study of the Eocene Quxu pluton of the Gangdese belt: Crustal deformation along the Indus-Zangbo suture zone in southern Tibet

Forty-five samples have been collected at nine sites on the 42.5 Ma Quxu pluton (90°50′E, 29°20′N) in the Gangdese batholith. Westerly declination (D = −48°and−83°) is observed in primary magnetizations from two sites about 25 km from the Indus-Zangbo suture zone after thermal demagnetization. This direction is consistent with the westerly paleomagnetic directions of the crustal blocks in other areas along the Indus-Zangbo suture zone. The Quxu pluton of the Gangdese Belt was rotated in a “domino style” deformation process as a part of a long (840 km) and narrow (less than 100 km) deformed zone between the India-Eurasia continents associated with the collision of India since 42.5 Ma. The pluton, between 11 km and 14 km from the suture acquired the secondary magnetization (D = −28°and−39°) during a cataclastic metamorphic process at sometime during the ‘domino style’ deformation. The primary magnetization was completely destroyed in the pluton within 11 km of the suture during slow cooling at the uplift stage and was replaced by thermoviscous remanent magnetization parallel to the present axial dipole field.     

Petrology of the Easter microplate region in the South Pacific

Submersible investigations along the East Rift segments, the Pito Deep and the Terevaka transform fault of the Easter microplate eastern boundary, and on a thrust-fault area of the Nazca Plate collected a variety of basalts and dolerites. The volcanics consist essentially of depleted (N-MORB), transitional (T-MORB) and enriched (E-MORB) basalts with low (0.01−0.1, < 0.7), intermediate (0.12–0.25, 0.7–1.2) and high (> 0.25, > 1.2–2) K/Ti and(La/Sm)_N ratios, respectively. The Fe-Ti-rich ferrobasalt encountered among the N-MORBs are found on the Pito Deep Central volcano, on the Terevaka intra-transform ridge, on the ancient (< 2.5 Ma) Easter microplate (called EMP, comprising the East Rift Inner pseudofaults and Pito Deep west walls) and on thrust-fault crusts. The most enriched (T- and E-MORB) volcanics occur along the East Rift at 25 °50′–27 °S (called 26 °S East Rift) and on the Pito seamount located near the tip of the East Rift at 23 °00′–23 °40′S (called 23 °S East Rift). The diversity in incompatible element ratios of the basalts in relation to their structural setting suggests that the volcanics are derived from a similar heterogenous mantle which underwent variable degrees of partial melting and magma mixing. In addition the Pito seamount volcanics have undergone less crystal fractionation (< 20%) than the lavas from the other Easter microplate structures (up to 35–45%). The tectonic segmentation of the East Rift observed between 23 and 27 °S corresponds to petrological discontinuities related to Mg# variations and mantle melting conditions. The highest Mg# (> 61) are found on topographic highs (2000–2300 m) and lower values (Mg# < 56) at the extremities of the East Rift segments (2500–5600 m depths). The deepest area (5600 m) along the East Rift is located at 23 °S and coincides with a Central volcano constructed on the floor of the Pito Deep. Three major compositional variabilities of the volcanics are observed along the East Rift segments studied: (1) the 26 °S East Rift segment where the volcanics have intermediate Na₈ (2.5–2.8%) and Fe₈ (8.5–11%) contents; (2) the 23 °S East Rift segment (comprising Pito seamount and Pito Deep Central volcano) which shows the highest (2.9–3.4%) values of Na₈ and a low (8–9%) Fe₈ content; and (3) the 25 °S (at 24 °50′–26 °10′S) and the 24 °S (at 24 °10′–25 °S) East Rift segments where most of the volcanics have low to intermediate Na₈ (2.6–2.0%) and a high range of Fe₈ (9–13%) contents. When modeling mantle melting conditions, we observed a relative increase in the extent of partial melting and decreasing melting pressure. These localized trends are in agreement with a 3-D type diapiric upwelling in the sense postulated by Niu and Batiza (1993). Diapiric mantle upwelling and melting localized underneath the 26, 25 and 23 °S (Pito seamount and Central volcano) East Rift segments are responsable for the differences observed in the volcanics. The extent of partial melting varies from 14 to 19% in the lithosphere between 18 and 40 km deep as inferred from the calculated initial (P_o=16kbar) and final melting (P_f=7kbar) pressures along the various East Rift segments. The lowest range of partial melting (14–16%) is confined to the volcanics from 23 °S East Rift segment including the Pito seamount and the Central volcano. The Thrust-fault area, and the Terevaka intra-transform show comparable mantle melting regimes to the 25 and 26 °S East Rift segments. The older lithosphere of the EMP interior is believed to have been the site of high partial melting (17–20%) confined to the deeper melting area (29–50 km). This increase in melting with increasing pressure is similar to the conditions encountered underneath the South East Pacific Rise (13–20 °S).     

A 14-year monthly climatology and trend in the 35–65 km altitude range from Rayleigh Lidar temperature measurements at a low latitude station

A sodium resonance lidar at 589 nm has been operated in São José dos Campos, Brazil (23°S, 46°W) since 1972 mainly for studies related to the origin, chemistry and dynamics of the mesospheric sodium layer. Beginning in 1993, the improved laser capability has also enabled the processing of the Rayleigh signal from which the temperatures from 35 to 65 km are retrieved on a nightly mean basis. We used these nightly profiles to determine the monthly temperature profiles from 1993 to 2006. The mean temperature characteristics for each year and for the whole period are obtained. Seasonal thermal amplitude is small (6 K peak to peak at 40 and 60 km). Compared with the MSISE-90 model, a large difference is noted, with temperature lower than the model below the stratopause and higher above. Also the seasonal variation has a large difference with better agreement occurring around local winter, but with temperatures higher by 8–10 K at the equinoxes. The semiannual component is dominant over the annual at all altitudes. Linear trends with decreasing temperature of 1.09, 2.29 and 1.42 K/decade are observed at 40, 50 and 60 km, respectively.     

Mesospheric bore events in the equatorial middle atmosphere

An all-sky CCD imager designed to measure wave structure of the OH, O₂b(0,1) and OI557.7 nm airglow emission layers in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region has been operated near the equatorial region at São João do Cariri (Cariri), Brazil, (7.5°S, 36.5°W). A large number of gravity wave was observed from September 2000 to September 2002 and among them 64 wave events were identified as mesospheric bores. The bore front shows a horizontal extension greater than 1000 km, and observed in the airglow layers as a complementary brilliance between the three emissions. At the first time mesospheric bore events were observed and analyzed in the equatorial region. Their predominant characteristics, occurrence, local time dependency, morphology and propagation direction will be presented and discussed.     

Emplacement temperatures of the November 22, 1994 nuée ardente deposits, Merapi Volcano, Java

A study of emplacement temperatures was carried out for the largest of the 22 November 1994 nuée ardente deposits at Merapi Volcano, based mainly on the response of plastic and woody materials subjected to the hot pyroclastic current and the deposits, and to some extent on eyewitness observations. The study emphasizes the Turgo–Kaliurang area in the distal part of the area affected by the nuée ardente, where nearly 100 casualties occurred. The term nuée ardente as used here includes channeled block-and-ash flows, and associated ash-clouds of surge and fallout origins. The emplacement temperature of the 8 m thick channeled block-and-ash deposit was relatively high, 550°C, based mainly on eyewitness reports of visual thermal radiance. Emplacement temperatures for ash-cloud deposits a few cm thick were deduced from polymer objects collected at Turgo and Kaliurang. Most polymers do not display a sharp melting range, but polyethylene terephthalate used in water bottles melts between 245 and 265°C, and parts of the bottles that had been deformed during fabrication molding turn a milky color at 200°C. The experimental evidence suggests that deposits in the Turgo area briefly achieved a maximum temperature near 300°C, whereas those near Kaliurang were <200°C. Maximum ash deposit temperatures occurred in fallout with a local source in the channeled block-and-ash flow of the Boyong river valley; the surge deposit was cooler (180°C) due to entrainment of cool air and soils, and tree singe-zone temperatures were around 100°C.     

Evidence of tidal perturbations in the middle atmosphere over Southern Tropics as deduced from LIDAR data analyses

Systematic measurements of the middle-atmosphere temperature by a RAYLEIGH LIDAR located at La Réunion Island (20.8°S–55.5°E) has led to a preliminary study of the tidal effects in the height range of 30–70 km. Two analysis methods able to estimate the mean nighttime evolution of the temperature have been compared. Method 1 consists in averaging the temperature deviations from the nightly mean over several successive nights of measurement for given local solar times (LST); method 2 consists in averaging the raw data over the period of observation for given LST and in deriving afterwards the mean nighttime evolution of the temperature profiles. Some consistent LST-related structures have been observed with both methods, though better results have been obtained with method 1. One possible explanation for the differences between the two methods is the use of a series of data ranging from 4 to 8 h/night, depending on the meteorological conditions. In contrast to method 2, method 1 allows to correct the mean temperature for a given night, when the measurement window is different from night to night. Method 1 has been applied to two time series recorded in October and November 1995. The results clearly show the presence of tidal components with a downward phase propagation, specifically a warmer early night and a colder midnight in the stratosphere and the lower mesosphere. This behaviour is consistent with other LIDAR measurements made at similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, a close comparison with the Global-Scale Wave Model (GSWM) tidal model predictions has also pointed out some similarities. Yet, large discrepancies in magnitude are also observed: as already reported in previous studies, the amplitudes predicted by GSWM are more than two times smaller compared to the corresponding values observed with the LIDAR.     

Tectonics of the Nazca-Antarctic plate boundary

We have constructed a new bathymetric chart of part of the Chile transform system, based mainly on an R/V “Endeavor” survey from 100°W to its intersection with the East Ridge of the Juan Fernandez microplate at 34°30′S, 109°15′W. A generally continuous lineated trend can be followed through the entire region, with the transform valley being relatively narrow and well-defined from 109°W to approximately 104°30′W. The fracture zone then widens to the east, with at least two probable en echelon offsets to the south at 104° and 102°W. Six new strike-slip mechanisms along the Chile Transform and one normal fault mechanism near the northern end of the Chile Rise, inverted together with other plate motion data from the eastern portion of the boundary, produce a new best fit Euler pole for the Nazca-Antarctic plate pair, providing tighter constraints on the relative plate motions.     

Andean evolution at the Guañacos and Chos Malal fold and thrust belts (36°30′–37°s)

The Andes between 36°30′ and 37°S represent a Cretaceous fold and thrust belt strongly reactivated in the late Miocene. Most of the features that absorbed Neogene shortening were already uplifted in the late Cretaceous, as revealed by field mapping and confirmed by previous fission track analysis. This Andean section is formed by two sectors: a western-inner sector generated by the closure of the upper Oligocene-lower Miocene intra-arc Cura Mallín basin between the middle and late Miocene (Guañacos fold and thrust belt), and an eastern-outer sector, where late Triassic-early Jurassic extensional depocenters were exhumed in two discrete phases of contraction, in the latest early Cretaceous and late Miocene to the Present, respectively (Chos Malal fold and thrust belt). Late Miocene deformation has not homogeneously reactivated Cretaceous compressive structures, being minimal south of 37°30′S through the eastern-outer sector (southern continuation of the Chos Malal fold and thrust belt). The reason for such an inhomogeneous deformational evolution seems to be related to the development of a late Miocene shallow subduction regime between 34°30′ and 37°45′S, as it was proposed in previous studies. This shallow subduction zone is evidenced by the eastward expansion of the arc that was accompanied by the eastern displacement of the orogenic front at these latitudes. As a result, the Cretaceous fold and thrust belt were strongly reactivated north of 37°30′S producing the major topographic break along the Southern Central Andes.     

A reconnaissance geochemical study of La Primavera geothermal area, Jalisco, Mexico

The Sierra La Primavera, a late Pleistocene rhyolitic caldera complex in Jalisco, México, contains fumaroles and large-discharge 65°C hot springs that are associated with faults related to caldera collapse and to later magma insurgence. The nearly-neutral, sodium bicarbonate, hot springs occur at low elevations at the margins of the complex, whereas the water-rich fumaroles are high and central.The Comisión Federal de Electricidad de México (CFE) has recently drilled two deep holes at the center of the Sierra (PR-1 and Pr-2) and one deep hole at the western margin. Temperatures as high as 285°C were encountered at 1160 m in PR-1, which produced fluids with 820 to 865 mg/kg chloride after flashing to one atmosphere. Nearby, PR-2 encountered temperatures to 307°C at 2000 m and yielded fluids with chloride contents fluctuating between 1100 and 1560 mg/kg after flashing. Neither of the high-temperature wells produced steam in commercial quantities. The well at the western margin of the Sierra produced fluids similar to those from the hot springs. The temperature reached a maximum of 100°C near the surface and decreased to 80°C at 2000 m.Various geothermometers (quartz conductive, Na/K, Na-K-Ca, δ¹⁸O(SO₄-H₂O) and D/H (steam-water) all yield temperatures of 170 ± 20°C when applied to the hot spring waters, suggesting that these spring waters flow from a large shallow reservoir at this temperature. Because the hot springs are much less saline than the fluids recovered in PR-1 and PR-2, the mixed fluid in the shallow reservoir can contain no more than 10–20% deep fluid. This requires that most of the heat is transferred by steam. There is probably a thin vapor-dominated zone in the central part of the Sierra, through which steam and gases are transferred to the overlying shallow reservoir. Fluids from this reservoir cool from 170°C to 65°C by conduction during the 5–7 km of lateral flow to the hot springs.     

Eruption characteristics and cycles at Pavlof Volcano, Alaska, and their relation to regional earthquake activity

Pavlof Volcano (55° 25′N, 161° 54′W) exhibits two eruption styles: magmatic eruptions of one-to-two-days duration, and phreatic-phreatomagmatic activity lasting several days to two months. Thirty-four eruptions have occurred in historic times; of these the largest are Volcano Explosivity Index=3. Nine magmatic and 13 phreatomagmatic eruptions occurred between 1973–1983. All the magmatic eruptions occurred in the fall, between Sept. 9–Nov. 20. Four magmatic eruptions occurred during November 11–15, but in four different years. A 3-year-long period of eruptive activity between 1973–1976 bears striking resemblance to a period of activity between 1980–1983. No locatable shallow earthquakes (<50 km) have occurred within 30 km of Pavlof since 1973, which is quite unusual for an active island-arc volcano. Shallow events in the adjacent are segments have focal mechanisms with P-axes perpendicular to the arc (and parallel to plate convergence). Deep earthquakes (> 100 km) are clustered beneath Pavlof and several other volcanoes. Their T-axes show downdip tension within the slab. Deep teleseisms (> 160 km) mostly occurred between 1977–1979 when the volcano was not erupting. Catalogued volcanic activity throughout the Alaska/Aleutian arc shows a weak tendency to increase around the time of great (M > 7.8) earthquakes.     

Hydrothermal activity on the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Tectonically- and volcanically-controlled venting at 4–5°S

We report results from an investigation of the geologic processes controlling hydrothermal activity along the previously-unstudied southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (3–7°S). Our study employed the NOC (UK) deep-tow sidescan sonar instrument, TOBI, in concert with the WHOI (USA) autonomous underwater vehicle, ABE, to collect information concerning hydrothermal plume distributions in the water column co-registered with geologic investigations of the underlying seafloor. Two areas of high-temperature hydrothermal venting were identified. The first was situated in a non-transform discontinuity (NTD) between two adjacent second-order ridge-segments near 4°02′S, distant from any neovolcanic activity. This geologic setting is very similar to that of the ultramafic-hosted and tectonically-controlled Rainbow vent-site on the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The second site was located at 4°48′S at the axial-summit centre of a second-order ridge-segment. There, high-temperature venting is hosted in an  18 km² area of young lava flows which in some cases are observed to have flowed over and engulfed pre-existing chemosynthetic vent-fauna. In both appearance and extent, these lava flows are directly reminiscent of those emplaced in Winter 2005−06 at the East Pacific Rise, 9°50′N and reference to global seismic catalogues reveals that a swarm of large (M 4.6−5.6) seismic events was centred on the 5°S segment over a  24 h period in late June 2002, perhaps indicating the precise timing of this volcanic eruptive episode. Temperature measurements at one of the vents found directly adjacent to the fresh lava flows at 5°S MAR (Turtle Pits) have subsequently revealed vent-fluids that are actively phase separating under conditions very close to the Critical Point for seawater, at  3000 m depth and 407 °C: the hottest vent-fluids yet reported from anywhere along the global ridge crest.     

Detecting co-seismic displacements in glaciated regions: An example from the great November 2002 Denali earthquake using SPOT horizontal offsets

We use SPOT image pairs to determine horizontal offsets associated with the Mw 7.9 November 2002 Denali earthquake in the vicinity of Slate Creek, AK. Field measurements and aerial photographs are used to further characterize the geometry of the surface rupture. Aerial photographs show that shear localization occurs where the rupture trace is linear, and distributed off-fault deformation is common at fault bends and step-overs, or at geologic contacts between rock, glacial sediments, and ice. The displacement field is generated using a sub-pixel cross correlation technique between SPOT images taken before and after the earthquake. We identify the effects of glacier motion in order to isolate the tectonic displacements associated with the Denali earthquake. The resulting horizontal displacement field shows an along-strike variation in dextral shear, with a maximum of approximately 7.5 m in the east near 144° 52′W, which decreases to about 5 m to the west near 145° 45′W. If the November 2002 earthquake represents the long-term behavior of the Denali fault, it implies a westward decrease in the long-term dextral slip rate. A possible mechanism to accommodate the westward decreasing slip on the Denali fault is to transfer fault slip to adjacent east-trending contractional structures in the western region of the central Alaskan Range.     

Latitudinal and longitudinal variability of mesospheric winds and temperatures during stratospheric warming events

Continuous MF and meteor radar observations allow detailed studies of winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) as well as temperatures around the mesopause. This height region is characterized by a strong variability in winter due to enhanced planetary wave activity and related stratospheric warming events, which are distinct coupling processes between lower, middle and upper atmosphere. Here the variability of mesospheric winds and temperatures is discussed in relation with major and minor stratospheric warmings as observed during winter 2005/06 in comparison with results during winter 1998/99.Our studies are based on MF radar wind measurements at Andenes (69°N, 16°E), Poker Flat (65°N, 147°W) and Juliusruh (55°N, 13°E) as well as on meteor radar observations of winds and temperatures at Resolute Bay (75°N, 95°W), Andenes (69°N, 16°E) and Kühlungsborn (54°N, 12°E). Additionally, energy dissipation rates have been estimated from spectral width measurements using a 3 MHz Doppler radar near Andenes. Particular attention is directed to the changes of winds, turbulence and the gravity wave activity in the mesosphere in relation to the planetary wave activity in the stratosphere.Observations indicate an enhancement of planetary wave 1 activity in the mesosphere at high latitudes during major stratospheric warmings. Daily mean temperatures derived from meteor decay times indicate that strong warming events are connected with a cooling of the 90 km region by about 10–20 K. The onset of these cooling processes and the reversals of the mesospheric circulation to easterly winds occur some days before the changes of the zonal circulation in the stratosphere start indicating a downward propagation of the circulation disturbances from the MLT region to the stratosphere and troposphere during the stratospheric warming events. The short-term reversal of the mesospheric winds is followed by a period of strong westerly winds connected with enhanced turbulence rates and an increase of gravity wave activity in the altitude range 70–85 km.     

Comparison of satellite measurements of the low-latitude nighttime upper ionosphere with IRI

In this paper, we report the results of our comparison study between satellite measurements and the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model on the seasonal and longitudinal changes of the low-latitude nighttime topside ionosphere during the period of solar maximum from June 2000 to July 2001. Satellite measurements were made by KOMPSAT-1 and DMSP F15 at 685 km altitude and 840 km altitude, respectively. The results show that the IRI2001 model gives reasonable density estimations for the summer hemisphere and the March equinox at both altitudes. However, the observed wintertime densities are smaller than the predictions of the IRI2001 model, especially at a higher (840 km) altitude, manifesting strong hemispheric asymmetries. The observed electron temperatures generally reside between the two estimations of IRI2001, one based on the Aeros–ISIS data and the other based on Intercosmos, and the latter estimation better represents the observations. With more or less monotonic increase with latitude, the temperature profiles of the IRI2001 model do not predict the enhancement seen around 15° magnetic latitude of the winter hemisphere. Longitudinal variation, probably caused by the zonal winds, is seen in all seasons at both altitudes, while the IRI2001 model does not show a large variation. The observed density and temperature show significant changes according to the F10.7 values in the whole low-latitude region from 40°S to 40°N geomagnetic latitude. The effect is manifested as increases in the density and temperature, but not in the hemispheric asymmetry or in the longitudinal variation.     

Collision frequencies in the D-region

Partial reflection differential absorption and differential phase observations have been used to systematically study collision frequencies (ν) in D-region of the lower ionosphere. The observations made with the large MF radar located at Buckland Park (35°S, 138°E) near Adelaide in the period September 1996–December 2000 show ν values larger than predicted by previously used models. The new estimates are compared with values calculated using new collision frequency momentum cross-sections for N₂(σ) measured in the laboratory. The two types of measurements are found to be in good agreement, with a moderate seasonal variation of ν at a constant height. No change due to solar cycle variations is found.     

The 1975–1977 crisis of la Soufriere de Guadeloupe (F.W.I): A still-born magmatic eruption

On July 8, 1976, eruptive activity broke out at la Soufrière de Guadeloupe (F.W.I) after about one year of increasing seismic activity. Seismic activity continued to increase until August 1976, reaching more than 1500 events (a 200-fold increase over the preceding quiet period of a few years) and an energy output of about 10¹⁷ ergs in a day. A total of 26 major phreatic eruptions similar to the July 8 outburst took place during an eight-months period. The steam blasts that characterized the eruptions gave rise to particle- and sometimes block-charged plumes that deposited an estimated 10⁶ m³ of solids. The H₂O-rich gases emitted during the blasts presumably contained other gases (H₂S, SO₂, CO₂...) that were partly adsorbed on solid particles. All material was erupted at temperatures of the order of 100° to 200°C.The observation of vertical migration of earthquake foci in less than a few hours and over about 6 km depth, and of abnormal variations of the geomagnetic field, indicate a deep energy source for the phreatic eruptions. A small proportion of the gases adsorbed on solid particles had a magmatic origin. However, most of the steam and the tephra seemed to originate from superficial levels of a hydrothermal system. Similar phreatic eruptions have occurred several times in recorded history. In the case of la Soufrière, the origin of the phreatic eruptions is best described by an abnormal energy input (versus steady-state) from a crustal magma chamber. The occurrence of truly magmatic eruptions is presumably inhibited by an extensive hydrothermal system. The abrupt release of more power from the magma chamber could have resulted in an explosive pyroclastic eruption.Substantial improvement of the Guadeloupe volcano observatory has followed the 1975–1977 crisis. Permanent telemetered geophysical networks and regular geochemical observations have provided a five year data base of the volcano behavior in its noneruptive state which can be compared to crisis situations.     

Deglacial pattern of circulation and marine productivity in the upwelling region off central-south Chile

A high-resolution sea surface temperature and paleoproductivity reconstruction on a sedimentary record collected at 36°S off central-south Chile (GeoB 7165-1, 36°33′S, 73°40′W, 797 m water depth, core length 750 cm) indicates that paleoceanographic conditions changed abruptly between 18 and 17 ka. Comparative analysis of several cores along the Chilean continental margin (30°–41°S) suggests that the onset and the pattern of deglacial warming was not uniform off central-south Chile due to the progressive southward migration of the Southern Westerlies and local variations in upwelling. Marine productivity augmented rather abruptly at 13–14 ka, well after the oceanographic changes. We suggest that the late deglacial increase in paleoproductivity off central-south Chile reflects the onset of an active upwelling system bringing nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor Equatorial Subsurface Water to the euphotic zone, and a relatively higher nutrient load of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. During the Last Glacial Maximum, when the Southern Westerlies were located further north, productivity off central-south Chile, in contrast to off northern Chile, was reduced due to direct onshore-blowing winds that prevented coastal upwelling and export production.