Chandra smells a RRAT

“Rotating RAdio Transients” (RRATs) are a newly discovered astronomical phenomenon, characterised by occasional brief radio bursts, with average intervals between bursts ranging from minutes to hours. The burst spacings allow identification of periodicities, which fall in the range 0.4 to 7 seconds. The RRATs thus seem to be rotating neutron stars, albeit with properties very different from the rest of the population. We here present the serendipitous detection with the Chandra X-ray Observatory of a bright point-like X-ray source coincident with one of the RRATs. We discuss the temporal and spectral properties of this X-ray emission, consider counterparts in other wavebands, and interpret these results in the context of possible explanations for the RRAT population. B.M.G. acknowledges the support of NASA through LTSA grant NAG5-13023 and of an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.     

The investigation of potential earthquake sources in peninsular Italy: A review

We summarise and discuss almost a century of progress inthe understanding of the main characteristics of large Italian earthquakes.Topics of discussion include (1) the distribution of the largest earthquakesin relation with Late Pleistocene and Holocene faulting, (2) the geologicaland tectonic setting of the 1908 Messina Straits, 1915 Fucino Plain and1980 Irpinia earthquakes, (3) some of the geodynamic motivations for thecharacteristics of Italian seismicity, and (4) the resulting implications for theassessment of seismic hazard. In a subsequent section of the paper we present a summaryof recent achievements in the understanding and characterization of Italianseismicity, with special emphasis on the assignment of large historicalearthquakes to specific sources identified through geological observationsand on the evaluation of average recurrence intervals for individualearthquake sources. The final section describes some of the efforts being madefor matching the newly acquired geological evidence with instrumental andhistorical observations of Italian seismicity and the hypotheses than can bederived for anticipating the locus of large earthquakes of the future.     

Observations of physical effects from tsunamis of December 30, 2002 at Stromboli volcano, southern Italy

On December 30, 2002, following an intense period of activity of Stromboli volcano (south Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), complex mass failures occurred on the northwest slope of the mountain which also involved the underwater portion of the volcanic edifice for a total volume of about 2–3×10⁷ m³. Two main landslides occurred within a time separation of 7 min, and both set tsunami waves in motion that hit the coasts of Stromboli causing injuries to three people and severe damage to buildings and structures. The tsunamis also caused damage on the island of Panarea, some 20 km to the SSE from the source. They were observed all over the Aeolian archipelago, at the island of Ustica to the west, along the northern Sicily coasts to the south as well as along the Tyrrhenian coasts of Calabria to the east and in Campania to the north. This paper presents field observations that were made in the days and weeks immediately following the events. The results of the quantitative investigations undertaken in the most affected places, namely along the coasts of Stromboli and on the island of Panarea, are reported in order to highlight the dynamics of the attacking waves and their impact on the physical environment, on the coastal structures and on the coastal residential zone. In Stromboli, the tsunami waves were most violent along the northern and northeastern coastal belt between Punta Frontone and the village of Scari, with maximum runup heights of about 11 m measured on the beach of Spiaggia Longa. Measured runups were observed to decay rapidly with distance from the source, typical of tsunami waves generated by limited-area sources such as landslides.     

A Mössbauer and FTIR study of synthetic amphiboles along the magnesioriebeckite – ferri-clinoholmquistite join

A series of amphiboles along the magnesioriebeckite—Na₂Mg₃Fe³⁺ ₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂– ferri-clinoholmquistite—Li₂Mg₃Fe³⁺ ₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)2 - join, defined by the ^BLi^B Na_–1 exchange vector, were hydrothermally synthesized at 700°C, 0.4 GPa, NNO + 1 redox conditions. Powder XRD and SEM-EDAX showed a very high (> 90%) amphibole yield for all samples. X-ray patterns were indexed in the C2/m space group; refined cell-parameters show a linear decrease of a and as a function of chemistry. IR spectra in the OH-stretching region show four main and rather sharp bands; these are assigned to Mg and Fe²⁺ at M(1,3), and indicate that the obtained amphiboles depart from the nominal octahedral composition (^M1,3Mg₃). The IR spectra also show that there is an increasing filling-up of the A-site for increasing Na in the system (increasing solid-solution toward, arfvedsonite). Mössbauer spectra show four well-defined quadrupole doublets which are assigned to Fe³⁺ at M2 and to Fe²⁺ at M1, M3 and M4, respectively. The Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ content derived from fitted peak areas show variable Fe³⁺ concentration along the series. Mössbauer spectra also show a distinct alteration of ⁵⁷Fe hyperfine parameters with changing Na–Li at M4. The most evident variation is observed for the quadrupole splitting of Fe³⁺ at M2, which increases by 50% from ferri-clinoholmquistite to magnesio-riebeckite; this suggest that the M2 octahedron in ferri-clinoholmquistite is much closer to the ideal geometry than the M2 octahedron in magnesio-riebeckite. Mössbauer spectra show also a well-defined increase in the Fe²⁺ quadrupole splitting of the M1 and M3 octahedra, which is attributed to the Na–Li distribution at the B-sites.     

Young runoff fractions control streamwater age and solute concentration dynamics

We introduce a new representation of coupled solute and water age dynamics at the catchment scale, which shows how the contributions of young runoff waters can be directly referenced to observed water quality patterns. The methodology stems from recent trends in hydrologic transport that acknowledge the dynamic nature of streamflow age and explores the use of water age fractions as an alternative to the mean age. The approach uses a travel time‐based transport model to compute the fractions of streamflow that are younger than some thresholds (e.g., younger than a few weeks) and compares them to observed solute concentration patterns. The method is here validated with data from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest during spring 2008, where we show that the presence of water younger than roughly 2 weeks, tracked using a hydrologic transport model and deuterium measurements, mimics the variation in dissolved silicon concentrations. Our approach suggests that an age–discharge relationship can be coupled to classic concentration–discharge relationship, to identify the links between transport timescales and solute concentration. Our results highlight that the younger streamflow components can be crucial for determining water quality variations and for characterizing the dominant hydrologic transport dynamics.     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-driven large mafic explosive eruptions: the Pozzolane Rosse case study from the Colli Albani Volcanic District (Italy)

Generally, the intensity and magnitude of explosive volcanic activity increase in parallel with SiO₂ content. Pyroclastic-flow-forming eruptions in the Colli Albani ultrapotassic volcanic district (Italy) represent the most striking exception on a global scale, with volumes on the order of tens of cubic kilometres and K-foiditic compositions (SiO₂ even <42 wt.%). Here, we reconstruct the pre-eruptive scenario and event dynamics of the ~456 ka Pozzolane Rosse (PR) eruption, the largest mafic explosive event of the Colli Albani district. In particular, we focus on the driving mechanisms for the unusually explosive eruption of a low-viscosity, mafic magma. Geologic, petrographic and geochemical data with mass balance calculations, supported by experimental data for Colli Albani magma compositions, provide evidence for significant ingestion of carbonate wall rocks by the Pozzolane Rosse K-foiditic magma. Moreover, the scattered occurrence of cored bombs in Pozzolane Rosse pyroclastic-flow deposits records carbonate entrainment even at the eruptive time scale, as also tested quantitatively by thermal modelling of magma–carbonate interaction and carbonate assimilation experiments. We suggest that the addition of free CO₂ from decarbonation of country rocks was the major factor controlling magma explosivity. High CO₂ activity in the volatile component, coupled with magma depressurisation, produced extensive leucite crystallisation at short time scales, resulting in a dramatic increase in magma viscosity and volatile pressurisation, which was manifested a change of eruptive dynamics from early effusion to the Pozzolane Rosse's highly explosive eruption climax.     

Searching for inner-Earth objects: a possible ground-based approach

The likely existence of bodies orbiting the Sun with aphelia Q < 0.983 AU has been suggested by numerical simulations of the dynamical evolution of the near-Earth objects (NEOs) population. For obvious reasons, these hypothetical minor bodies are called inner-Earth objects (IEOs). While much progresses has been made in learning more about the Amor, Apollo, and Aten population from surveys optimized for their discovery, no large, systematic, and similar observation projects devoted to the search of IEOs have been started. For their own orbital nature, IEOs can be observed only at small solar elongations (<90°), corresponding to regions of the sky currently neglected by the modern, ongoing surveys. This paper discusses a possible ground-based approach to look for IEOs, providing some useful tricks and the results of simulated surveys devoted to their discovery. It will be shown that such a search promises interesting results, the setup of a dedicated project being highly recommended.     

A time-dependent extension of the projected normal regression model for longitudinal circular data based on a hidden Markov heterogeneity structure

The modelling of animal movement is an important ecological and environmental issue. It is well-known that animals change their movement patterns over time, according to observable and unobservable factors. To trace the dynamics of behaviors, to identify factors influencing these dynamics and unobserved characteristics driving intra-subjects correlations, we introduce a time-dependent mixed effects projected normal regression model. A set of animal-specific parameters following a hidden Markov chain is introduced to deal with unobserved heterogeneity. For the maximum likelihood estimation of the model parameters, we outline an expectation–maximization algorithm. A large-scale simulation study provides evidence on model behavior. The data analysis approach based on the proposed model is finally illustrated by an application to a dataset, which derives from a population of Talitrus saltator from the beach of Castiglione della Pescaia (Italy).     

Synthetic ANaB(Na x Li1 − x Mg1)CMg5Si8O22(OH)2 (with x = 0.6, 0.2 and 0) P21/m amphiboles at high pressure: a synchrotron infrared study

The high-pressure behavior of three synthetic amphiboles crystallized with space group P2₁/m at room conditions in the system Li₂O–Na₂O–MgO–SiO₂–H₂O has been studied by in situ synchrotron infrared absorption spectroscopy. The amphiboles have compositions ^ANa ^B(Na _x Li_1 − x Mg₁) ^CMg₅ Si₈ O₂₂(OH)₂ with x = 0.6, 0.2 and 0.0, respectively. The high-P experiments up to 32 GPa were carried out on the U2A beamline at Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY, USA) using a diamond anvil cell under non-hydrostatic or quasi-hydrostatic conditions. The two most intense absorption bands in the OH-stretching infrared spectra can be assigned to two non-equivalent O–H dipoles in the P2₁/m structure, bonded to the same local environment ^M1M3Mg₃–OH–^ANa, and pointing toward two differently kinked tetrahedral rings. In all samples these bands progressively merge to give a unique symmetrical absorption with increasing pressure, suggesting a change in symmetry from P2₁/m to C2/m. The pressure at which the transition occurs appears to be linearly correlated to the aggregate B-site dimension. The infrared spectra collected for amphibole ^B(Na_0.2Li_0.8Mg₁) in the frequency range 50 to 1,400 cm⁻¹ also show a series of changes with increasing pressure. The data reported here support the inference of Iezzi et al. (Am Miner 91:479–482, 2006a) regarding a new high-pressure amphibole polymorph.