Correlations between sound velocity and related properties of glacio-marine sediments: Barents sea

Statistical analysis of laboratory-measured compressional wave (sound) velocity, porosity, wet bulk density, and selected textural parameters of surface sediments from the Barents Sea reveals that clay content and mean grain size are the best indices to sound velocity. These parameters are followed closely by porosity and wet bulk density, while sand content provides the weakest index. Although Barents Sea surface sediments are characterized by fairly high variability, the results of the present study are in general agreement with studies of similar sediment types in other continental shelf environments.     

Metal tissue levels in Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) pups

The endangered Western population of the Steller sea lion declined for three decades for uncertain reasons. We present baseline data of metal concentrations in pups as a first step towards investigating the potential threat of developmental exposures to contaminants. Seven metals were investigated: arsenic, cadmium, silver, aluminum, mercury, lead and vanadium. Vanadium was detected in only a single blubber sample. Mercury appears to be the most toxicologically significant metal with concentrations in the liver well above the current action level for mercury in fish. The concentrations of aluminum, arsenic, silver, cadmium and lead were present in one-fourth to two-thirds of all samples and were at either comparable or below concentrations previously reported. Neither gender nor region had a significant effect on metal burdens. Future work should consider metal concentrations in juveniles and adults and toxicological studies need to be performed to begin to assess the toxicity of these metals.     

Non-thermal X-rays, a high-abundance ridge and fossil bubbles in the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies

Using a deep Chandra observation of the Perseus cluster of galaxies, we find a high-abundance shell 250 arcsec (93 kpc) from the central nucleus. This ridge lies at the edge of the Perseus radio mini-halo. In addition we identify two Hα filaments pointing towards this shell. We hypothesize that this ridge is the edge of a fossil radio bubble, formed by entrained enriched material lifted from the core of the cluster. There is a temperature jump outside the shell, but the pressure is continuous indicating a cold front. A non-thermal component is mapped over the core of the cluster with a morphology similar to the mini-halo. Its total luminosity is  4.8 × 10⁴³ erg s⁻¹  , extending in radius to ∼75 kpc. Assuming the non-thermal emission to be the result of inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background and infrared emission from NGC 1275, we map the magnetic field over the core of the cluster.     

Laboratory measurement of fine-grained soil fluid conductivity

Advective fluid flow, which depends directly on hydraulic conductivity, controls contaminant migration through soils in many cases. The state of practice in laboratory measurements of hydraulic conductivity of soils was reviewed and found to be extremely variable, with the result that measurements on a given soil material often give variations of several orders of magnitude. An experimental program was completed using compacted clay soils to study several facets of laboratory testing practice, and a suitable test procedure for consistent results was developed. Recommendations on several important aspects of procedure are presented.     

Oxygen chemical diffusion in three basaltic liquids at elevated temperatures and pressures

The diffusivity of oxygen has been measured in three basaltic liquids from 1280 to 1450°C and 4 to 21 kilobars using a solid media piston-cylinder apparatus. The measurements were done by monitoring the reduction of ferric iron in previously oxidized spheres of basalt melt. The compositions studied were olivine nephelinite, alkali basalt, and 1921 Kilauea tholeiite.The isobaric temperature dependence of oxygen diffusivity is adequately described by Arrhenius relationships for the three liquids studied. Arrhenius activation energies were determined at 12 kilobars for olivine nephelinite (62± 6 kcal/mole) and tholeiite (51 ± 4 kcal/mole) and at 4, 12, and 20 kilobars for alkali basalt (70 ± 7, 86 ± 6, and 71 ± 14 kcal/mole, respectively). The Arrhenius parameters for the three compositions define a compensation law which is indistinguishable from those for oxygen diffusion in simple silicate melts (DUNN, 1982) and for divalent cation diffusion in basaltic melts (Hofmann, 1980). These results suggest that the principal species contributing to the total diffusivity of oxygen is the oxide anion (O^2?).The isothermal pressure dependence of oxygen diffusion is complex and quite different from that observed for cationic diffusion in silicate melts. All three compositions show a sharp decrease in oxygen diffusivity at approximately the same pressure as the change in the liquidus phase from olivine to pyroxene, but otherwise the pressure dependence can be described by Arrhenius type equations. The equations yield negative activation volumes for the olivine nehpelinite and the alkali basalt. The activation volumes determined for the tholeiite are near zero at low pressure and positive at high pressure. A negative activation volume represents a decrease in the average size of the principal diffusing species.The results of this study are consistent with a melt model which includes both continuous changes in the relative proportions of the various anionic species in the melt with pressure and the occurrence of anionic disproportionation reactions within narrow pressure ranges.     

Oxygen diffusion in three silicate melts along the join diopside-anorthite

The self-diffusion of oxygen has been measured for three silicate melts along the join diopsideanorthite. The experiments were done by isotope exchange between an “infinite” reservoir of oxygen gas and spheres of melt. The oxygen self-diffusion coefficients for the three melts are given as: C-1(diopside): D = 1.64 × 10¹ exp(?(63.2 ± 20)(kcal/mole)/RT) cm²/sec C-2(Di₅₈An₄₂): D = 1.35 × 10^?1 exp(?(46.8 ± 9)(kcal/mole)/RT) cm²/sec C-3(Di₄₀An₆₀): D = 1.29 × 10^?2 exp(?(44.2 ± 6)(kcal/mole)/RT) cm²/secThe self-diffusion coefficients do not agree with the Eyring equation unless mean ionic jump distances (λ) considerably larger than the diameter of oxygen anion are assumed. However, the sense of variation of the actual diffusivities is as the Eyring equation predicts.Consideration of the results of this study and the bulk of previous work shows that oxygen appears to conform to the compensation law for cationic diffusion in silicate melts and glasses. The range of oxygen diffusivities was also found to encompass the field of divalent cation diffusivities in silicate melts.Those results imply that the diffusion of oxygen in silicate melts may involve a contribution from a cation-like diffusion mechanism (discrete O^2? anions) as well as contributions from the diffusion of larger structural units.     

Barred olivine chondrules in ordinary chondrites: Constraints on chondrule formation

In general, barred olivine (BO) chondrules formed from completely melted precursors. Among BO chondrules in unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, there are significant positive correlations among chondrule diameter, bar thickness, and rim thickness. In the nebula, smaller BO precursor droplets cooled faster than larger droplets (due to their higher surface area/volume ratios) and grew thinner bars and rims. There is a bimodal distribution in the olivine FeO content in BO chondrules, with a hiatus between 11 and 19 wt% FeO. The ratio of (FeO rich)/(FeO poor) BO chondrules decreases from 12.0 in H to 1.6 in L to 1.3 in LL. This is the opposite of the case for porphyritic chondrules: the mean (FeO rich)/(FeO poor) modal ratio increases from 0.8 in H to 1.8 in L to 2.8 in LL. During H chondrite agglomeration, most precursor dustballs were small with low bulk FeO/(FeO + MgO) ratios and moderately high melting temperatures. The energy available for chondrule melting from flash heating was relatively low, capable of completely melting many ferroan dusty precursors (to form FeO-rich BO chondrules), but incapable of completely melting many magnesian dusty precursors (to form FeO-poor BO chondrules). When L and LL chondrites agglomerated somewhat later, significant proportions of precursor dustballs were relatively large and had moderately high bulk FeO/(FeO + MgO) ratios. The energy available from flash heating was higher, capable of completely melting higher proportions of magnesian dusty precursors to form FeO-poor BO chondrules. These differences may have resulted from an increase in the amplitude of lightning discharges in the nebula caused by enhanced charge separation.