Characterization of organic carbon in black shales of the Kachchh basin,Gujarat, India

Thirty-three black shale samples from four locations on the onland Kachchh basin, western India were analyzed to characterize organic carbon (OC), thermal maturity and to determine the hydrocarbon potential of the basin. Upper Jurassic black shales from the Jhuran Formation (Dhonsa and Kodki areas) are characterized by the presence of chlorite, halloysite, high \(T_{\mathrm{max}}\), low OC, low hydrogen index and high oxygen index. These parameters indicate the OC as type IV kerogen, formed in a marine environment. The rocks attained thermal maturity possibly during Deccan volcanism. Early Eocene samples of the Naredi Formation (Naliya-Narayan Sarovar Road (NNSR) and the Matanomadh areas) are rich in TOC, smectite, chlorite and framboidal pyrite, but have low \(T_{\mathrm{max}}\). These indicate deposition of sediments in a reducing condition, probably in a lagoonal/marsh/swamp environment. Organic carbon of the Naredi Formation of NNSR may be considered as immature type III to IV kerogen, prone to generate coal. Core samples from the Naredi Formation of the Matanomadh area show two fold distribution in terms of kerogen. Organic carbon of the upper section is immature type III to IV kerogen, but the lower section has type II to III kerogen having potential to generate oil and gas after attaining appropriate thermal maturity.     

Crustal Heterogeneity and Seismotectonics of the National Capital Region, Delhi, India

To better understand the relationship between crustal heterogeneity and seismotectonics in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi, India, we carried out local P- and S-velocity tomography beneath the NCR. First arrival times of the first P- and S-wave from 275 crustal earthquakes recorded by the Seismic Telemetry Network in and around Delhi of the India Meteorological Department, India, are inverted to obtain crustal P-, S-velocity and V _P /V _S variations in the region. Our tomographic images of the upper crust reflect well the surface geological and tectonic features. The Delhi fold belt is identified as low V _P, high V _S and low V _P/V _S. The Sohna hot spring region is appearing as low V _P, low V _S and high V _P /V _S correlating with the possible presence of fluid-filled rocks. The crustal seismicity is distributed in both the high- and low-velocity zones, but most distinctly in the low V _P /V _S region.     

Performance of nested WRF model in typhoon simulations over West Pacific and South China Sea

Forecasting skill of weather research and forecasting (WRF) model in simulating typhoons over the West Pacific and South China Sea with different trajectories has been studied in terms of track direction and intensity. Four distinct types of typhoons are chosen for this study in such a way that one of them turns toward left during its motion and had landfall, while the second took a right turn before landfall. The third typhoon followed almost a straight line path during its course of motion, while the fourth typhoon tracked toward the coast and just before landfall, ceased its motion and travelled in reverse direction. WRF model has been nested in one way with a coarse resolution of 9?km and a fine resolution of 3?km for this study, and the experiments are performed with National Center for Environmental Prediction-Global Forecasting System (NCEP-GFS) analyses and forecast fields. The model has been integrated up to 96?h and the simulation results are compared with observed and analyzed fields. The results show that the WRF model could satisfactorily simulate the typhoons in terms of time and location of landfall, mean sea-level pressure, maximum wind speed, etc. Results also show that the sensitivity of model resolution is less in predicting the track, while the fine-resolution model component predicted slightly better in terms of central pressure drop and maximum wind. In the case of typhoon motion speed, the coarse-resolution component of the model predicted the landfall time ahead of the actual, whereas the finer one produced either very close to the best track or lagging little behind the best track though the difference in forecast between the model components is minimal. The general tendency of track error forecast is that it increases almost linearly up to 48?h of model simulations and then it diverges quickly. The results also show that the salient features of typhoons such as warm central core, radial increase of wind speed, etc. are simulated well by both the coarse and fine domains of the WRF model.     

Prediction of severe tropical cyclones over the Bay of Bengal during 2007–2010 using high-resolution mesoscale model

In this paper, the performance of a high-resolution mesoscale model for the prediction of severe tropical cyclones over the Bay of Bengal during 2007?C2010 (Sidr, Nargis, Aila, and Laila) is discussed. The advanced Weather Research Forecast (WRF) modeling system (ARW core) is used with a combination of Yonsei University PBL schemes, Kain-Fritsch cumulus parameterization, and Ferrier cloud microphysics schemes for the simulations. The initial and boundary conditions for the simulations are derived from global operational analysis and forecast products of the National Center for Environmental Prediction-Global Forecast System (NCEP-GFS) available at 1°lon/lat resolution. The simulation results of the extreme weather parameters such as heavy rainfall, strong wind and track of those four severe cyclones, are critically evaluated and discussed by comparing with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated values. The simulations of the cyclones reveal that the cyclone track, intensity, and time of landfall are reasonably well simulated by the model. The mean track error at the time of landfall of the cyclone is 98?km, in which the minimum error was found to be for the cyclone Nargis (22?km) and maximum error for the cyclone Laila (304?km). The landfall time of all the cyclones is also fairly simulated by the model. The distribution and intensity of rainfall are well simulated by the model as well and were comparable with the TRMM estimates.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of pyrophyllite deposit of Madrangjodi,Keonjhar district,Orissa

Pyrophyllite deposit at Madrangjodi is a large lensoidal massif overlain unconformably by Dhanjori quartzite and underlain by the parent Singhbhum granite (Phase — II). Pyrophyllite and quartz are the major minerals with minor to trace amounts of muscovite, chloritoid opaques and tourmaline. It is broadly divisible into lamellar, granular and schistose varieties. SiO₂ (66.90–74.36%) and Al₂O₃ (20.80–27.54%) are the major oxides. The major elements data indicate its derivation from Singhbhum granite with depletion of SiO₂ and increment of Al₂O₃. Trace and REE data are discussed to corroborate its genesis.     

A Neoarchean dismembered ophiolite complex from southern India: Geochemical and geochronological constraints on its suprasubduction origin

Ophiolites, the remnants of ancient oceanic lithosphere, have been described from collisional sutures of various ages with only few examples from Archean terranes. Here we report the discovery of a Neoarchean ophiolite suite from the southern margin of the Dharwar Craton in India, tectonically intercalated within a Neoproterozoic suture zone. The metamorphosed and variably dismembered ophiolite suite, exposed around Devanur, comprises altered ultramafic units, websterite, gabbros, mafic dykes, amphibolites, trondhjemites and pegmatites associated with ferruginous metachert. Structural and petrographic studies indicate that the rocks represent a highly sheared and metamorphosed suite emplaced as a thrust sheet. The major and trace element geochemistry of the mafic dykes indicate derivation from basaltic-andesitic magmas with tholeiitic to calc-alkaline characteristics. The rocks display negative Nb anomalies with enrichment of LILE (K, Rb, Ba, Th) and depletion in HFSE (Ti, Nb, Hf, Tb). The tectonic discrimination of these rocks based on various geochemical plots suggests that they were generated in a suprasubduction zone setting. We present new SHRIMP zircon U-Pb data for two trondhjemite samples from this complex, which yield ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb ages of 2528 ± 61 and 2545 ± 56 Ma. The Neoarchean age from the trondhjemites obtained in our study is closely comparable to similar ages obtained in recent studies from magmatic zircons in charnockites and orthogneisses in the area. The suprasubduction zone assemblages and arc magmas suggest a Neoarchean ocean closure along the southern margin of the Dharwar Craton.     

Markov chain model to study the occurrence of pre-monsoon thunderstorms over Bhubaneswar,India

The present work deals with pre-monsoon thunderstorms over Bhubaneswar belonging to the state of Orissa, India. A Markovian approach has been adopted to discern the probabilistic behavior of the time series of the occurrence and non-occurrence of this hazardous weather event by introducing a dichotomy within the time series. After a painstaking analysis through chi-square tests, we have identified serial independence in a few years and first-order two-state Markovian dependence in a few years (2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006). Finally, for the years of first-order two-state Markovian dependence, it has been observed that the probability of occurrence or non-occurrence of thunderstorm gets higher if the state of the previous day is similar to that of the current day. Furthermore, the probability of getting non-thunderstorm day followed by non-thunderstorm day is higher than the probability of getting thunderstorm day followed by thunderstorm day. It has been also observed that the unconditional climatological probability of the occurrence of severe pre-monsoon thunderstorm implied by the Markov chain is closely in agreement with the observed relative frequencies. However, it could be revealed that Markov chain cannot, in general, be suggested as a predictive tool for pre-monsoon thunderstorms under study without investigating the serial dependence inherent in the time series.     

Studies on the variations of heavy metals in the marine sediments off Kalpakkam,East Coast of India

During the last two decades, the coastal environment of southeast India has experienced intense developments in industry, urbanization and aquaculture. Moreover, the 2004 mega tsunami has devastated this coast, thus affecting the coastal sediment characteristics. These two phenomena prompted a study to characterize the sediment, to understand the mechanisms influencing the distribution of heavy metals and to create baseline data for future impact assessment. Results showed that the coastal sediment was carpeted with a mosaic of sand and silty sand with a minor amount of clay. Heavy metal values showed maximum variation for Fe and minimum for Cd. Their average values showed the following decreasing trend: Fe > Cu > Zn > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd. This study shows that the major source of metals at Kalpakkam coast are land-based anthropogenic ones, such as, discharge from industrial waste, agricultural waste, urban, municipal and slum sewage into the Buckingham canal, which in turn discharges into the sea through backwaters, particularly during northeast monsoon period. A clear signature of the role of backwater discharge increasing the concentration of a few metals in the coastal sediments during monsoon period was observed. Assessments of the degree of pollution, concentration factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (I _geo) and pollution load index (PLI) have been calculated. CF values and I _geo indicated that the coastal sediment is moderately polluted by Cu and Cd. Increase in Cu, Pb and Zn concentration during the monsoon period (October–January) compared to the rest of the year was noticed. Factor analysis and correlation among the heavy metals concluded that Cr, Ni, Cd and Fe are of crustal origin, whereas, Cu, Pb and Zn are from anthropogenic sources. Organic carbon content in the sediment increased during monsoon period, pointing to the role of land runoff and backwater discharge in enhancing its content. The study also elucidates the impact of the recent tsunami in depleting metal content in the coastal sediment as compared to the pre-tsunami period.     

Radioelement-bearing secondary zoned apatite around Govardhanagiri-Chinnakolumulapalli-L. Banda areas of Kurnool District,Andhra Pradesh

Zoned Apatite crystals with intrinsic radioactivity are widespread in the S-type basement granite around Govardhanagiri-Chinnakolumulapalli-L.Banda areas of Kurnool District, A.P. The granite is overlain by Gulcheru quartzite and in turn by Vempalle dolostone of Papaghni Group belonging to the Cuddapah Supergroup. The area (4 km x 6 km) is characterized by conjugate fracture system comprising ENE-WSW and WNW-ESE of varying extents, of which, ENE-WSW is sympathetic to the major deep seated Gani Kalva fault. The apatite crystals are frequently zoned and vary in size from few microns to 1000 microns, occur mostly as veins or associated with pulverized matrix of granite cataclasite. Veins (upto 2 cm. thick) generally follow the major fracture-trend (ENE-WSW) in the area. The apatites are also found intimately associated with fluorite, tourmaline and sulphides, which suggest their derivation from pneumatolytic fluids. The intrinsic accessory uranium as scarce grains of uraninite and other labile phases of granite were remobilized consequent upon the deformation and locked up as ferroan-oxy/hydroxyl inclusions in slowly growing apatite crystals under very low temperature conditions.     

Measurement of arrival time of particles in extensive air showers using TDC32

Arrival time of particles in an extensive air shower (EAS) is a key physical parameter to determine its direction. EAS direction is useful for studies of anisotropy and composition of cosmic rays, and search for multi-TeV γ-rays sources. Accurate timing may be used to search exotic phenomena such as production of new particles at extremely high energies available during early stages of development of EAS and also for detecting sub-relativistic hadrons in EAS. Time to digital converters (TDCs) are used to perform this task. Traditional TDCs operate in the START-STOP mode with limited dynamic range and single-hit capability. With the advent of high luminosity collider LHC, need for TDCs with large dynamic range, multi-hit capability and TRIGGERED mode of operation became necessary. A 32 channel TDC was designed for the GRAPES-3 experiment on a CAMAC platform around TDC32, an ASIC developed by micro-electronics group at CERN, Geneva. Four modules were operated in the GRAPES-3 experiment. Here, we present details of the circuit design and their performance over several years. The multi-hit feature of this device was used to study the time structure of particles in the EAS on time scale of ~1 μs. The distribution of time intervals in the multi-hit data shows an exponential profile with a time constant of ~370 ns. These delayed particles are likely to be neutrons produced in the EAS core that were recorded in the scintillator detectors following the relativistic EAS front.