A neuro fuzzy approach to recognize rock magnetic and lithological patterns in a stratigraphic well from the Llanos Foreland Basin (Colombia)

The Neuro Fuzzy System (NFS) is a hybrid algorithm that combines fuzzy logic with neural networks. Since it can be used as a pattern recognition technique, we explore its potential to characterize the major lithological units encompassed by the first 512 m of the Colombian stratigraphic well Saltarin 1A (Guayabo and León Formations). Thus, we employ the NFS to infer the magnetic remanence S-ratio using bulk magnetic susceptibility (κ), κ-normalized saturation isothermal magnetization (SIRM κ) and/or volume of shale (V_sh) obtained from a gamma-ray log. The best results in terms of their corresponding Root Mean-Square Error (RMSE) values, throughout most of the upper Guayabo Formation, where magnetite seems to be an important magnetic phase, are attained with logκ and SIRM κ as input variables. Beyond 350 m downcore, the quality of the inference decreases over the León Formation, characterized by a significant presence of pyrrhotite. However, the extra input variable V_sh adjusts the inferred S-ratio to their experimental counterparts throughout this formation suggesting that the early diagenesis process that led to the formation of dispersed clay in these samples was also responsible for the formation of pyrrhotite. Hence the inclusion of manifold input data increases the ability of the net to predict S-ratio in complex geological settings with a sequence of changing lithologies, varying amounts and types of magnetic minerals, and different distributions of mineral grain sizes. In case these variables do not properly infer the actual S-ratio data, the extent of the different lithostratigraphic units would be still identifiable in some cases by the uneven quality of the correlation observed between inferred and experimental values.     

A low temperature X-ray single-crystal diffraction and polarised infra-red study of epidote

The effects of low-temperature on the crystal structure of a natural epidote [Ca_1.925Fe_0.745Al_2.265Ti_0.004Si_3.037O₁₂(OH), a = 8.8924(7), b = 5.6214(3), c = 10.1547(6)? and β = 115.396(8)° at room conditions, Sp. Gr. P2₁ /m] have been investigated with a series of structure refinements down to 100 K on the basis of X-ray single-crystal diffraction data. The reflection conditions confirm that the space group is maintained within the T-range investigated. Structural refinements at all temperatures show the presence of Fe³⁺ at the octahedral M(3) site only [%Fe(M3) = 70.6(4)% at 295 K]. Only one independent proton site was located and two possible H-bonds occur, with O(10) as donor and O(4) and O(2) as acceptors. The H-bonding scheme is maintained down to 100 K and is supported by single crystal room-T polarised FTIR data. FTIR Spectra over the region 4,000–2,500 cm⁻¹ are dominated by the presence of a strongly pleochroic absorption feature which can be assigned to protonation of O(10)–O(4). Previously unobserved splitting of this absorption features is consistent with a NNN influence due to the presence of Al and Fe³⁺ on the nearby M(3) site. An additional relatively minor absorption feature in FTIR spectra can be tentatively assigned to protonation of O(10)–O(2). Low-T does not affect significantly the tetrahedral and octahedral bond distances and angles, even when distances are corrected for “rigid body motions”. A more significant effect is observed for the bond distances of the distorted Ca(1)- and Ca(2)-polyhedra, especially when corrected for “non-correlated motion”. The main low-T effect is observed on the vibrational regime of the atomic sites, and in particular for the two Ca-sites. A significant reduction of the magnitude of the thermal displacement ellipsoids, with a variation of U _eq (defined as one-third of the trace of the orthogonalised U _ij tensor) by ~40% is observed for the Ca-sites between 295 and 100 K. Within the same T-range, the U _eq of the octahedral and oxygen sites decrease similarly by ~35%, whereas those of the tetrahedral cations by ~22%.     

Behavior of epidote at high pressure and high temperature: a powder diffraction study up to 10 GPa and 1,200 K

The thermo-elastic behavior of a natural epidote [Ca_1.925 Fe_0.745Al_2.265Ti_0.004Si_3.037O₁₂(OH)] has been investigated up to 1,200 K (at 0.0001 GPa) and 10 GPa (at 298 K) by means of in situ synchrotron powder diffraction. No phase transition has been observed within the temperature and pressure range investigated. P–V data fitted with a third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (BM-EoS) give V ₀ = 458.8(1)ų, K _T0 = 111(3) GPa, and K′ = 7.6(7). The confidence ellipse from the variance–covariance matrix of K _T0 and K′ from the least-square procedure is strongly elongated with negative slope. The evolution of the “Eulerian finite strain” vs “normalized stress” yields Fe(0) = 114(1) GPa as intercept values, and the slope of the regression line gives K′ = 7.0(4). The evolution of the lattice parameters with pressure is slightly anisotropic. The elastic parameters calculated with a linearized BM-EoS are: a ₀ = 8.8877(7) Å, K _T0(a) = 117(2) GPa, and K′(a) = 3.7(4) for the a-axis; b ₀ = 5.6271(7) Å, K _T0(b) = 126(3) GPa, and K′(b) = 12(1) for the b-axis; and c ₀ = 10.1527(7) Å, K _T0(c) = 90(1) GPa, and K’(c) = 8.1(4) for the c-axis [K _T0(a):K _T0(b):K _T0(c) = 1.30:1.40:1]. The β angle decreases with pressure, β_P(°) = β_P0 −0.0286(9)P +0.00134(9)P ² (P in GPa). The evolution of axial and volume thermal expansion coefficient, α, with T was described by the polynomial function: α(T) = α₀ + α₁ T ^−1/2. The refined parameters for epidote are: α₀ = 5.1(2) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and α₁ = −5.1(6) × 10⁻⁴ K^1/2 for the unit-cell volume, α₀(a) = 1.21(7) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and α₁(a) = −1.2(2) × 10⁻⁴ K^1/2 for the a-axis, α₀(b) = 1.88(7) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and α₁(b) = −1.7(2) × 10⁻⁴ K^1/2 for the b-axis, and α₀(c) = 2.14(9) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and α₁(c) = −2.0(2) × 10⁻⁴ K^1/2 for the c-axis. The thermo-elastic anisotropy can be described, at a first approximation, by α₀(a): α₀(b): α₀(c) = 1 : 1.55 : 1.77. The β angle increases continuously with T, with β_T(°) = β_T0 + 2.5(1) × 10⁻⁴ T + 1.3(7) × 10⁻⁸ T ². A comparison between the thermo-elastic parameters of epidote and clinozoisite is carried out.     

Origin of resources and trophic pathways in a large SW Atlantic estuary: An evaluation using stable isotopes

The Río de la Plata (34° 36′ S, 55° 58′ W; Argentina and Uruguay) estuary, one of the most important South American estuarine environments, is characterized by weak seasonal freshwater discharge, low tidal amplitude (<1 m), a wide and permanent connection to the sea, and a salt-wedge regime. Using stable isotope analysis, we explored the relative importance of the different sources of primary production in the food web. Our results show that phytoplankton and macrodetritus from terrestrial salt and freshwater marshes both contribute to the food web of the Río de la Plata estuary. On the basis of the sampled species, we identified four trophic levels. The clam Mactra isabelleana, the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa, and the opossum shrimp Neomysis americana are the primary consumers. The rays Atlantoraja castelnaui and Squatina guggenheim and the shark Galeorhinus galeus are the top predators. The Río de la Plata food web shows an important input of nutrients derived from phytoplankton. Rays, sharks, and predatory gastropods reveal an important contribution of C4 plants (likely Spartina spp.). However, production derived from C3 plants is also important for some species. The fishes Brazilian menhaden, Brevoortia aurea; the stripped weakfish Cynoscion guatucupa; and the whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri, showed differences in their isotopic signatures as juveniles and adults, indicating different food sources, and they were therefore treated as different components of the food web. Our data suggest that detritus from salt and freshwater marshes is reaching the Río de la Plata estuary and can be an important allocthonous source of energy to this environment.     

The heating history of Vesta and the onset of differentiation

In this work, we study the link between the evolution of the internal structure of Vesta and thermal heating due to ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Fe and long‐lived radionuclides, taking into account the chemical differentiation of the body and the affinity of ²⁶Al with silicates. We explored several thermal and structural scenarios differing in the available strength of energy due to the radiogenic heating and in the postsintering macroporosity. By comparing them with the data supplied by the HEDs and the Dawn NASA mission, we use our results to constrain the accretion and differentiation time as well as the physical properties of the core. Differentiation takes place in all scenarios in which Vesta completes its accretion in <1.4 Ma after the injection of ²⁶Al into the solar nebula. In all those scenarios where Vesta completes its formation in <1 Ma from the injection of ²⁶Al, the degree of silicate melting reaches 100 vol% throughout the whole asteroid. If Vesta completed its formation between 1 and 1.4 Ma after ²⁶Al injection, the degree of silicate melting exceeds 50 vol% over the whole asteroid, but reaches 100 vol% only in the hottest, outermost part of the mantle in all scenarios where the porosity is lower than 5 vol%. If the formation of Vesta occurred later than 1.5 Ma after the injection of ²⁶Al, the degree of silicate melting is always lower than 50 vol% and is limited only to a small region of the asteroid. The radiation at the surface dominates the evolution of the crust, which ranges in thickness from 8 to about 30 km after 5 Ma: a layer about 3–20 km thick is composed of primitive unmelted chondritic material, while a layer of about 5–10 km is eucritic.     

Iron-hydroxide clogging of public supply wells receiving artificial recharge: near-well and in-well hydrological and hydrochemical observations

Clogging of water wells by iron-hydroxide incrustations due to mixing of anoxic and oxic groundwater is a common well-ageing problem. The relation between well operation (on and off), the spatial and temporal variations in hydrochemistry outside and inside a supply well, and the distribution of clogging iron-hydroxides were studied in an artificial recharge well field in the Netherlands. Camera inspection, high-resolution multi-level water sampling outside the well and detailed in-well pH/EC/O₂ profiles revealed remarkable patterns. During pumping, the top of the upper well screen abstracted oxic filtrate, although the larger part of the in-well water column was anoxic. The column rapidly turned oxic after shutdown due to a downward short-circuiting of oxic water via the well. Within 15 d it became anoxic due to the slow advance of anoxic lake filtrate created by local changes in flow direction as the neighboring wells continued to pump. Severe clogging occurred where the oxic filtrate entered the well, while half-clogging of the upper well screen occurred due to less inflow of oxic filtrate on the lake side. Transport of iron flocs and bacterial slimes after shutdown seemed to clog the lower part of the well screen. Frequent on/off switching should be avoided in iron-clogged wells.     

An overview of physical and ecological processes in the Rio de la Plata Estuary

The Rio de la Plata is a large-scale estuary located at 35°S on the Atlantic coast of South America. This system is one of the most important estuarine environments in the continent, being a highly productive area that sustains valuable artisanal and coastal fisheries in Uruguay and Argentina. The main goals of this paper are to summarize recent knowledge on this estuary, integrating physical, chemical and biological studies, and to explore the sources and ecological meaning of estuarine variability associated to the stratification/mixing alternateness in the estuary. We summarized unpublished data and information from several bibliographic sources. From study cases representing different stratification conditions, we draw a holistic view of physical patterns and ecological processes of the stratification/mixing alternateness. This estuary is characterized by strong vertical salinity stratification most of the time (the salt-wedge condition). The head of the estuary is characterized by a well-developed turbidity front. High turbidity constrains their photosynthesis. Immediately offshore the turbidity front, water becomes less turbid and phytoplankton peaks. As a consequence, trophic web in the estuary could be based on two sources of organic matter: phytoplankton and plant detritus. Dense plankton aggregations occur below the halocline and at the tip of the salt wedge. The mysid Neomysis americana, a key prey for juvenile fishes, occurs all along the turbidity front. A similar spatial pattern is shown by one of the most abundant benthic species, the clam Mactra isabelleana. These species could be taken advantage of the particulate organic matter and/or phytoplankton concentrated near the front. Nekton is represented by a rich fish community, with several fishes breeding inside the estuary. The most important species in terms of biomass is Micropogonias furnieri, the main target for the coastal fisheries of Argentina and Uruguay. Two processes have been identified as producing partially stratified conditions: persistent moderate winds (synoptic scale), or low freshwater runoff (interannual scale). Less frequently, total mixing of the salt wedge occurs after several hours of strong winds. The co-dominance of diatoms (which proliferate in highly turbulent environments) and red tides dinoflagellates and other bloom taxa (better adapted to stratified conditions), would indicate great variability in the turbulence strength, probably manifested as pulses. Microplankton and ichthyoplankton assemblages defined for the stratified condition are still recognized during the partially mixed condition, but in this case they occupy the entire water column: vertical structure of the plankton featuring the stratified condition become lost. Bottom fish assemblages, on the contrary, shows persistence under the different stratification conditions, though the dominant species of the groups show some variations. Summarizing, the Río de la Plata Estuary is a highly variable environment, strongly stratified most of the time but that can be mixed in some few hours by strong wind events that occur in an unpredictable manner, generating stratification/partially mixed (less frequently totally mixed) pulses all along the year. At larger temporal scales, the system is under the effects of river discharge variations associated to the ENSO cycle, but their ecological consequences are not fully studied.     

Isotropic wavelets: a powerful tool to extract point sources from cosmic microwave background maps

It is the aim of this paper to introduce the use of isotropic wavelets to detect and determine the flux of point sources appearing in cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps. The most suitable wavelet to detect point sources filtered with a Gaussian beam is the 'Mexican Hat'. An analytical expression of the wavelet coefficient obtained in the presence of a point source is provided and used in the detection and flux estimation methods presented. For illustration the method is applied to two simulations (assuming Planck mission characteristics) dominated by CMB (100 GHz) and dust (857 GHz), as these will be the two signals dominating at low and high frequencies respectively in the Planck channels. We are able to detect bright sources above 1.58 Jy at 857 GHz (82 per cent of all sources) and above 0.36 Jy at 100 GHz (100 per cent of all), with errors in the flux estimation below 25 per cent. The main advantage of this method is that nothing has to be assumed about the underlying field, i.e. about the nature and properties of the signal plus noise present in the maps. This is not the case in the detection method presented by Tegmark & Oliveira-Costa. Both methods are compared, producing similar results.     

Mantle‐derived and crustal melts dichotomy in northern Greece: spatiotemporal and geodynamic implications

Two distinct groups of subduction‐related (orogenic) granitoid rocks, one Jurassic and the other Tertiary, occur in the area between the Vardar (Axios) Zone and the Rhodope Massif in northern Greece. The two groups of granitoids differ in many respects. The first group shows evolved geochemical characters, it is not associated with mafic facies, and evidence of magmatic interaction between mantle‐ and crustal‐derived melts is lacking. The second group has less evolved geochemical characters, it is associated with larger amount of mafic facies, and magmatic interaction processes between mantle‐derived and crustal melts are ubiquitous as evidenced by mafic microgranular enclaves and synplutonic dykes showing different enrichment in K₂O, Ti, and incompatible elements. This kind of magmatism can be attributed to the complex geodynamic evolution of the area. In particular, we suggest that two successive subduction events related to the closure of the Vardar and the Pindos oceans, respectively, occurred in the investigated area from Late Jurassic to Tertiary. We relate the genesis of Jurassic granitoids to the first subduction event, whereas Tertiary granitoids are associated with the second subduction. Fluids released by the two subducted slabs induced metasomatic processes generating a ‘leopard skin’ mantle wedge able to produce mafic melts ranging from typical calc‐alkaline to ultra‐potassic. Such melts interacted in various amounts with crustal calc‐alkaline anatectic melts to generate the wide spectrum of Tertiary granitoids occurring in the study area. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.