The Intensity–Velocity Phase Spectra of Evanescent Oscillations and Acoustic Sources

There are three major issues in modeling solar evanescent oscillations: the variation of the intensity [I]–velocity [V] phase difference of p-modes close to the base of photosphere; the existence of a plateau of negative I–V phase differences below and between the ridges of the low-frequency p-modes; the explanation of the I–V cross-spectra of the evanescent oscillations. We present new interpretations for the first two issues, based on modeling intensity fluctuations taking steep temperature gradients, opacity, and non-adiabatic cooling into account. We also discuss consequences of our model for the explanation of power spectra and cross-power spectra of p-modes. In particular, we present evidence that the acoustic sources that generate evanescent waves produce a coherent background that explains the plateau–interridge regime of negative I–V phase difference.     

Walking through volcanic mud: the 2,100-year-old Acahualinca footprints (Nicaragua)

We present the stratigraphy, lithology, volcanology, and age of the Acahualinca section in Managua, including a famous footprint layer exposed in two museum pits. The ca. 4-m-high walls of the main northern pit (Pit I) expose excellent cross sections of Late Holocene volcaniclastic deposits in northern Managua. We have subdivided the section into six lithostratigraphic units, some of which we correlate to Late Holocene eruptions. Unit I (1.2 m thick), chiefly of hydroclastic origin, begins with the footprint layer. The bulk is dominated by mostly massive basaltic-andesitic tephra layers, interpreted to represent separate pulses of a basically phreatomagmatic eruptive episode. We correlate these deposits based on compositional and stratigraphic evidence to the Masaya Triple Layer erupted at Masaya volcano ca. 2,120 ± 120 a B.P.. The eruption occurred during the dry season. A major erosional channel unconformity up to 1 m deep in the western half of Pit I separates Units II and I. Unit II begins with basal dacitic pumice lapilli up to 10 cm thick overlain by a massive to bedded fine-grained dacitic tuff including a layer of accretionary lapilli and pockets of well-rounded pumice lapilli. Angular nonvesicular glass shards are interpreted to represent hydroclastic fragmentation. The dacitic tephra is correlated unequivocally with the ca. 1.9-ka-Plinian dacitic Chiltepe eruption. Unit III, a lithified basaltic-andesitic deposit up to 50 cm thick and extremely rich in branch molds and excellent leaf impressions, is correlated with the Masaya Tuff erupted ca. 1.8 ka ago. Unit IV, a reworked massive basaltic-andesitic deposit, rich in brown tuff clasts and well bedded and cross bedded in the northwestern corner of Pit I, cuts erosionally down as far as Unit I. A poorly defined, pale brown mass flow deposit up to 1 m thick (Unit V) is overlain by 1–1.5 m of dominantly reworked, chiefly basaltic tephra topped by soil (Unit VI). A major erosional channel carved chiefly between deposition of Units II and I may have existed as a shallow drainage channel even prior to deposition of the footprint layer. The swath of the footprints is oriented NNW, roughly parallel to, and just east of, the axis of the channel. The interpretation of the footprint layer as the initial product of a powerful eruption at Masaya volcano followed without erosional breaks by additional layers of the same eruptive phase is strong evidence that the group of 15 or 16 people tried to escape from an eruption.     

Rotating ‘star-in-a-box’ experiments

Using the radiation hydrodynamics code CO⁵BOLD in its ‘star-in-a-box’ setup, we have performed exploratory simulations of global convection in a rotating reference frame. The goal is to study the interaction of convection and rotation by direct numerical simulation. For these first experiments, we chose an idealized configuration (a scaled-down, fast rotating Sun) whose properties resemble those of red supergiants in some respect. We describe the setup and time evolution of these models, and discuss the particular problems we have encountered. Finally, we derive the resulting differential rotation pattern and meridional flow field by temporal and azimuthal averaging of the simulation data. We find anti-solar differential rotation for all cases studied so far. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The emergence of a neutral Herbig–Haro jet into a photoionized nebula

Recent observations show the existence of an increasing number of collimated outflows ejected by young, low-mass stars which are embedded in H  ii regions. At distances of a few tens of au from the star, at least one lobe of these outflows will be shielded from the ambient ionizing radiation by the compact, high-extinction circumstellar disc. Within these shielded regions, the jets are probably mostly neutral, similar to the jets in 'normal' Herbig–Haro (HH) objects. At larger distances, these jets emerge into the photoionized nebula, and start to be photoionized by the radiation from the ionizing photon source of the nebula.
In this paper, we model the photoionization of an initially neutral HH jet. This process begins as an ionization front at the side of the jet, which is directed towards the ionizing star of the nebula, and progresses into the beam of the jet. There are two possible solutions. In the first solution, the jet beam becomes fully ionized through the passage of an R-type ionization front. In the second solution, the ionization front slows down enough to become a D-type front (or is already a D-type front at the point in which the jet emerges into the photoionized nebula), forming a partially ionized jet beam, with an expanding photoionized region and a compressed neutral region.
We explore these two types of solutions both analytically and numerically, and discuss the observational effects introduced by this jet photoionization process, concentrating in a region of parameter space that straddles the parameters deduced for HH 444 (the jet from V 510 Orionis).     

Jarosite stability on Mars

Jarosite, a potassium (sodium) iron sulphate hydrated mineral, has recently been identified on the martian surface by the Opportunity rover. Using recent thermochemical data [Drouet and Navrotsky, 2003, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67, 2063-2076; Forray et al., 2005, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, in press], we calculate the equilibrium decomposition curve of jarosite and show that it is thermodynamically stable under most present martian pressures and temperatures. Its stability makes jarosite potentially useful to retain textural, chemical, and isotopic evidence of past history, including possible biological activity, on Mars.     

Oxidized and reduced mineral assemblages in greenstone belt rocks of the St. Ives gold camp, Western Australia: vectors to high-grade ore bodies in Archaean gold deposits?

Hydrothermal sulfide–oxide–gold mineral assemblages in gold deposits in the Archaean St. Ives gold camp in Western Australia indicate extremely variable redox conditions during hydrothermal alteration and gold mineralization in space and time. Reduced alteration assemblages (pyrrhotite–pyrite) occur in deposits in the southwest of the camp (e.g., Argo, Junction deposits) and moderately to strongly oxidized assemblages (magnetite–pyrite, hematite–pyrite) occur in deposits in the Central Corridor in the northeast (e.g., North Orchin, Revenge deposits). Reduced mineral assemblages flank the Central Corridor of oxidized deposits and, locally, cut across it along E–W trending faults. Oxidized mineral assemblages in the Central Corridor are focused on gravity lows which are interpreted to reflect abundant felsic porphyritic intrusions at about 1,000 m below present surface. Hydrothermal magnetite predates and is synchronous with early phases of gold-associated albite–carbonate–pyrite–biotite–chlorite hydrothermal alteration. Later-stage, gold-associated pyrite is in equilibrium with hematite. The spatial distribution and temporal sequence of iron sulfides and oxides with gold indicate the presence of at least two spatially restricted but broadly synchronous hydrothermal fluids with contrasting redox states. Sulfur isotope constraints support the argument that the different mineral assemblages reflect differences in redox conditions. The δ ³⁴S values for pyrite for the St. Ives gold camp range between −8.4‰ and +5.1‰ with the negative values occurring in oxidized magnetite-rich domains and slightly negative or positive values occurring in reduced, pyrrhotitic domains. Preliminary spatial and paragenetic analysis of the distribution of iron sulfides and oxides in the St. Ives camp suggests that gold grades are highest where the redox state of the hydrothermal alteration assemblages switches from relatively reduced pyrrhotite–pyrite to relatively oxidized magnetite–pyrite and hematite–pyrite both in space and time. Gold deposition is inferred to have occurred where fluids of contrasting redox state mixed.     

A priori fully populated covariance matrices in least-squares adjustment—case study: GPS relative positioning

In this contribution, using the example of the Mátern covariance matrices, we study systematically the effect of apriori fully populated variance covariance matrices (VCM) in the Gauss–Markov model, by varying both the smoothness and the correlation length of the covariance function. Based on simulations where we consider a GPS relative positioning scenario with double differences, the true VCM is exactly known. Thus, an accurate study of parameters deviations with respect to the correlation structure is possible. By means of the mean-square error difference of the estimates obtained with the correct and the assumed VCM, the loss of efficiency when the correlation structure is missspecified is considered. The bias of the variance of unit weight is moreover analysed. By acting independently on the correlation length, the smoothness, the batch length, the noise level, or the design matrix, simulations allow to draw conclusions on the influence of these different factors on the least-squares results. Thanks to an adapted version of the Kermarrec–Schön model, fully populated VCM for GPS phase observations are computed where different correlation factors are resumed in a global covariance model with an elevation dependent weighting. Based on the data of the EPN network, two studies for different baseline lengths validate the conclusions of the simulations on the influence of the Mátern covariance parameters. A precise insight into the impact of apriori correlation structures when the VCM is entirely unknown highlights that both the correlation length and the smoothness defined in the Mátern model are important to get a lower loss of efficiency as well as a better estimation of the variance of unit weight. Consecutively, correlations, if present, should not be neglected for accurate test statistics. Therefore, a proposal is made to determine a mean value of the correlation structure based on a rough estimation of the Mátern parameters via maximum likelihood estimation for some chosen time series of observations. Variations around these mean values show to have little impact on the least-squares results. At the estimates level, the effect of varying the parameters of the fully populated VCM around these approximated values was confirmed to be nearly negligible (i.e. a mm level for strong correlations and a submm level otherwise).     

Deriving incline values for street networks from voluntarily collected GPS traces

ABSTRACT

When producing optimal routes through an environment, considering the incline of surfaces can be of great benefit in a number of use cases. For instance, steep segments need to be avoided for energy-efficient routes and for routes that are suitable for mobility-restricted people. Such incline information may be derived from digital elevation models (DEMs). However, the corresponding data capturing methods (e.g. airborne LiDAR, photogrammetry, and terrestrial surveying) are expensive. Current low-cost and open-licensed DEM (e.g. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission [SRTM] and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer [ASTER]) generally do not have sufficient horizontal resolution or vertical accuracy, and lack a global coverage. Therefore, we have investigated an alternative low-cost approach which derives street incline values from GPS traces that have been voluntarily collected by the OpenStreetMap contributors. Despite the poor absolute accuracy of this data, the relative accuracy of traces seems to be sufficient enough to compute incline values with reasonable accuracy. A validation shows that the accuracy of incline values calculated from GPS traces slightly outperforms incline values derived from SRTM-1 DEM, though results depend on how many traces per street segment are used for computation.