A comparison of artificial solar granules with real solar granules

The lifetimes, characteristics of the shapes as well as lengths and perimeters of artificial solar granules (Nordlund, 1982, 1984a) are compared with data from the literature and parameters determined from two different sets of observed granules. No significant differences of the parameters for these sets of granules are detectable.Mitteilungen aus dem Kiepenheuer-Institut Nr. 251.     

Long-term effects of tributyltin compounds on the baltic amphipod, Gammarus oceanicus

Amphipod larvae, Gammarus oceanicus, were exposed for 8 weeks to bis(tributyltin) oxide (TBTO) or tributyltin fluoride (TBTF), or for 5 weeks to leachates from tributyltin-containing antibiofouling paints. No larvae survived 8 weeks' exposure to 3 μg/litre TBTO or TBTF. Differential larval survival occurred during exposure to 0·3 gmg/litre of these same compounds. Paint leachates were shown to cause similar toxicity responses at comparable aqueous tributyltin concentrations. An examination of sublethal responses showed slight decreases in growth for larvae exposed to TBTO and to paint leachates, although responses at tributyltin levels below 1 μg/litre were not marked. Whole-animal oxygen consumption rates were not affected by low tributyltin exposure levels. While these studies demonstrate low level toxicity of tributyltins, effects on oxygen consumption and growth do not indicate a mode of action for these compounds.     

The orion-IRc2 outflow observed in COJ=4-3

A CO J=4-3 map of the Orion-IRc2 region (size 80, beam 15) is presented. The outflow has a bipolar structure observed nearly pole-on. We interpret our observations in terms of an hierarchy of tubes where the fastest gas proceeds through the narrowest, innermost cone. The gas has an inhomogeneous temperature distribution and must be highly clumped. Most of the properties derived comply with the picture developed for the few known extreme high velocity outflows; however, this outflow contains exceptionally dense gas ( > 10⁶ cm^–3).     

Conceptual Numerical Modeling of Large-Scale Footwall Behavior at the Kiirunavaara Mine,and Implications for Deformation Monitoring

Over the last 30 years, the Kiirunavaara mine has experienced a slow but progressive fracturing and movement in the footwall rock mass, which is directly related to the sublevel caving (SLC) method utilized by Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB). As part of an ongoing work, this paper focuses on describing and explaining a likely evolution path of large-scale fracturing in the Kiirunavaara footwall. The trace of this fracturing was based on a series of damage mapping campaigns carried out over the last 2 years, accompanied by numerical modeling. Data collected from the damage mapping between mine levels 320 and 907 m was used to create a 3D surface representing a conceptual boundary for the extent of the damaged volume. The extent boundary surface was used as the basis for calibrating conceptual numerical models created in UDEC. The mapping data, in combination with the numerical models, indicated a plausible evolution path of the footwall fracturing that was subsequently described. Between levels 320 and 740 m, the extent of fracturing into the footwall appears to be controlled by natural pre-existing discontinuities, while below 740 m, there are indications of a curved shear or step-path failure. The step-path is hypothesized to be activated by rock mass heave into the SLC zone above the current extraction level. Above the 320 m level, the fracturing seems to intersect a subvertical structure that daylights in the old open pit slope. Identification of these probable damage mechanisms was an important step in order to determine the requirements for a monitoring system for tracking footwall damage. This paper describes the background work for the design of the system currently being installed.     

Study of rock joints under cyclic loading conditions

Summary A conceptual model for the behaviour of rock joints during cyclic shear and under constant normal stresses was proposed according to results from shear tests with 50 concrete replicas of rock joints. The shear strength and deformability of joint samples were found to be both anisotropic and stress dependent. Based on these experimental results, a two-dimensional constitutive model was developed for rock joints undergoing monotonic or cyclic loading sequences. The joint model was formulated in the framework of non-associated plasticity, coupled with empirical relations representing the surface roughness degradation, appearance of peak and residual shear stresses, different rates of dilatancy and contraction, variable normal stiffness with normal deformation, and dependence of shear strength and deformability on the normal stress. The second law of thermodynamics was represented by an inequality and used to restrict the values of some of the material parameters in the joint model. The new joint model was implemented into a two-dimensional Distinct Element Method Code, UDEC, and its predictions agreed well with some well-known test results.     

Estimating the phase of the response of the Earth to long-period geomagnetic fluctuations

Samples collected by the deep submersible “Alvin” from four hot spring fields (T = 3–13°C) on the crest of the Galapagos spreading ridge show pronounced and varied compositional anomalies. If it is assumed that these have a general significance, that they are associated with hydrothermal reactions between seawater and basalt wherever new oceanic crust is being produced then global fluxes can be computed. These are large. For Mg and SO₄ they balance the river input. For Li and Rb they exceed it by factors of between five and ten. Calcium is supplied at a rate equivalent to that of non-carbonate Ca from the continents. The additions of K, Ba and Si are between one third and two thirds of the river load. There are large positive and negative anomalies for Cl and Na indicating that substantial amounts of Cl may be taken up by the newly formed crust and transported deep into the subduction zones.Where there are data in common, the field measurements agree with the experimental findings at low (<5) water/rock ratios.     

Solar Flux Emergence Simulations

We simulate the rise through the upper convection zone and emergence through the solar surface of initially uniform, untwisted, horizontal magnetic flux, with the same entropy as the nonmagnetic plasma, that is advected into a domain 48 Mm wide by 20 Mm deep. The magnetic field is advected upward by the diverging upflows and pulled down in the downdrafts, which produces a hierarchy of loop-like structures of increasingly smaller scale as the surface is approached. There are significant differences between the behavior of fields of 10 kG and 20 or 40 kG strength at 20 Mm depth. The 10 kG fields have little effect on the convective flows and show small magnetic-buoyancy effects, reaching the surface in the typical fluid rise time from 20 Mm depth of 32 hours. 20 and 40 kG fields significantly modify the convective flows, leading to long, thin cells of ascending fluid aligned with the magnetic field and their magnetic buoyancy makes them rise to the surface faster than the fluid rise time. The 20 kG field produces a large-scale magnetic loop that as it emerges through the surface leads to the formation of a bipolar, pore-like structure.     

Self-Regulating Supernova Heating in Interstellar Medium Simulations

Numerical simulations of the multi-phase interstellar medium have been carried out, using a 3D, nonlinear, magnetohydrodynamic, shearing-box model, with random motions driven by supernova explosions. These calculations incorporate the effects of magnetic fields and rotation in 3D; these play important dynamical roles in the galaxy, but are neglected in many other simulations. The supernovae driving the motions are not arbitrarily imposed, but occur where gas accumulates into cold, dense clouds; their implementation uses a physically motivated model for the evolution of such clouds. The process is self-regulating, and produces mean supernova rates as part of the solution. Simulations with differing mean density show a power law relation between the supernova rate and density, with exponent 1.7; this value is within the range suggested from observations (taking star formation rate as a proxy for supernova rate). The global structure of the supernova driven medium is strongly affected by the presence of magnetic fields; e.g. for one solution the filling factor of hot gas is found to vary from 0.19 (with no field) to 0.12 (with initial mid-plane field B ₀ = 6 μG).     

Excitation of Radial P-Modes in the Sun and Stars

P-mode oscillations in the Sun and stars are excited stochastically by Reynolds stress and entropy fluctuations produced by convection in their outer envelopes. The excitation rate of radial oscillations of stars near the main sequence from K to F and a subgiant K IV star have been calculated from numerical simulations of their surface convection zones. P-mode excitation increases with increasing effective temperature (until envelope convection ceases in the F stars) and also increases with decreasing gravity. The frequency of the maximum excitation decreases with decreasing surface gravity.     

Source parameters of seismic events potentially associated with damage in block 33/34 of the Kiirunavaara mine (Sweden)

Forty-six mining-induced seismic events with moment magnitude between ?1.2 and 2.1 that possibly caused damage were studied. The events occurred between 2008 and 2013 at mining level 850–1350 m in the Kiirunavaara Mine (Sweden). Hypocenter locations were refined using from 6 to 130 sensors at distances of up to 1400 m. The source parameters of the events were re-estimated using spectral analysis with a standard Brune model (slope ?2). The radiated energy for the studied events varied from 4.7 × 10^?1 to 3.8 × 10⁷ J, the source radii from 4 to 110 m, the apparent stress from 6.2 × 10² to 1.1 × 10⁶ Pa, energy ratio (E _s/E _p) from 1.2 to 126, and apparent volume from 1.8 × 10³ to 1.1 × 10⁷ m³. 90% of the events were located in the footwall, close to the ore contact. The events were classified as shear/fault slip (FS) or non-shear (NS) based on the E _s/E _p ratio (>10 or <10). Out of 46 events 15 events were classified as NS located almost in the whole range between 840 and 1360 m, including many events below the production. The rest 31 FS events were concentrated mostly around the production levels and slightly below them. The relationships between some source parameters and seismic moment/moment magnitude showed dependence on the type of the source mechanism. The energy and the apparent stress were found to be three times larger for FS events than for NS events.