First results from the North Iceland experiment

Between June 2004 and September 2004 a temporary seismic network was installed on the northern insular shelf of Iceland and onshore in north Iceland. The seismic setup aimed at resolving the subsurface structure and, thus, the geodynamical transition from Icelandic crust to typical oceanic crust along Kolbeinsey Ridge. The experiment recorded about 1,000 earthquakes. The region encloses the Tjörnes Fracture Zone containing the Husavik–Flatey strike-slip fault and the extensional seismic Grimsey Lineament. Most of the seismicity occurs in swarms offshore. Preliminary results reveal typical mid-ocean crust north of Grimsey and a heterogeneous structure with major velocity anomalies along the seismic lineaments and north–south trending subsurface features. Complementary bathymetric mapping highlight numerous extrusion features along the Grimsey Lineament and Kolbeinsey Ridge. The seismic dataset promises to deliver new insights into the tectonic framework for earthquakes in an extensional transform zone along the global mid-ocean ridge system.     

Primitive island arc and oceanic lavas from the hunter ridge-hunter fracture zone. Evidence from glass,olivine and spinel compositions

Summary At its southernmost end, the main spreading centre of the North Fiji Basin is propagating into arc crust of the poorly-known Hunter Ridge. We define nine magmatic groups from major element glass chemistry and olivine and spinel compositions in samples dredged from twenty six sites in this area by the R/V Academician A. Nesmeyanov in 1990. These include groups of boninites, island arc tholeiites (IAT), mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts (E-MORB), olivine porphyritic andesites and basaltic andesite and Na-rhyolites. Primitive lavas containing highly forsteritic olivine phenocrysts are common in all the groups, except for the rhyolites.We report over 100 glass analyses for dredged rocks from this region, and about 300 olivine-spinel pairs for representatives of all the magmatic groups identified, except the Na-rhyolites.The MORB in this region are probably produced at the propagating spreading centre in the southern part of the North Fiji Basin. Juxtaposition of shallow, hot MORB-source diapirs supplying the MORB in this area, and the sub-arc damp, refractory upper mantle beneath the Hunter Ridge, provides suitable petrogenetic conditions to produce a range of magma types, from island arc tholeiites through to high-Ca boninites. The latter were recovered in eleven dredges.The E-MORB lavas recovered from the extreme southern margin of the North Fiji Basin are shown to be essentially identical to those dredged from adjacent older South Fiji Basin crust. It is hypothesized that the former were either scraped off the South Fiji Basin crust during an episode of oblique subduction that may have generated the Hunter Ridge during the last 5 Myr, or alternatively, that slices of the South Fiji Basin crust were trapped and incorporated into the North Fiji Basin as the subduction zones fronting the Vanuatu arc stepped or propagated southward.

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Primitive Inselbogen- und ozeanische Laven von Hunter Rücken und der Hunter BruchZone: die Bedeutung der Zusammensetzung von Glas, Olivin und Spinell

Zusammenfassung Das spreading centre des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens setzt sich an seinem südlichsten Ende in die Inselbogen-Kruste des noch wenig bekannten Hunter-Rückens fort.Wir definieren 9 magmatische Gruppen auf der Basis der Hauptelement-Zusammensetzung von Gläsern und der Zusammensetzung von Olivin und Spinell in Proben die das Forschungsschiff R/V Akademiker A. Nesmeyanov von 26 Stellen im Jahr 1990 aufgesammelt hat. Zu diesen gehören Gruppen von Boniniten, Inselbogentholeiiten (IAT), Basalten zentralozeanischer Rücken (MORB), angereicherte zentralozeanische Rücken (E-MORB), Olivin-porphyritische Andesite und basaltische Andesite, sowie Na-Rhyolite. Primitive Laven mit Olivinkristallen, die reich an Forsterit-Komponenten sind, kommen in allen diesen Gruppen, mit Ausnahme der Rhyolite, vor.Wir legen über 100 Glas-Analysen von Gesteinen aus diesem Gebiet vor und über 300 Olivin-Spinell-Paare für Vertreter aller der hier identifizierten magmatischen Gruppen, mit Ausnahme der Natriumrhyolite.Die MORB in diesem Gebiet sind wahrscheinlich an dem aktiven Spreading Center im Südteil des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens entstanden. Das nebeneinander Vorkommen von seichten heißen MORB-Quellen Diapiren, die MORB in diesem Gebiet erzeugen, und der Sub-Inselbogen, wasserhaltige, refraktäre obere Mantel unter dem Hunter Rücken führen zu geeigneten petrogenetischen Bedingungen für die Entstehung einer Vielfalt von Magmatypen, von Inselbogentholeiiten bis zu sehr Kalziumreichen Boniniten. Die letzteren wurden in 11 Dredge-Proben gefunden.Die E-MORS Laven, die aus dem extremen Südteil des Nord-Fidschi-Beckens entnommen wurden, sind im wesentlichen mit jenen identisch, die aus der benachbarten älteren Kruste des Süd-Fidschi-Beckens stammen. Es wird vermutet, daß die letzteren entweder aus dem Süd-Fidschi-Becken während einer Episode obliger Subduktion, die in den letzten 5 Millionen Jahren zur Entstehung des Hunter Ridge geführt hat, abgeschert wurden, oder auch daß Teile der Kruste des Süd-Fidschi-Beckens in das Nord-Fidschi-Becken inkorporiert wurden als Subduktionszonen gegenüber dem Vanuato-Bogen sich nach Süden fortbewegten.

     

The 1982 eruptions of El Chichon volcano,Mexico (2): Observations and numerical modelling of tephra-fall distribution

Tephra fallout from the A-1 (March 29, 0532 UT), B (April 4, 0135 UT), and C (April 4, 1122 UT) 1982 explosive eruptions of El Chichon produced three tephra fall deposits over southeastern Mexico. Bidirectional spreading of eruption plumes, as documented by satellite images, was due to a combination of tropospheric and stratospheric transport, with heaviest deposition of tephra from the ENE tropospheric lobes. Maximum column heights for the eruptions of 27, 32, and 29 km, respectively, have been determined by comparing maximum lithic-clast dispersal in the deposits with predicted lithic isopleths based on a theoretical model of pyroclast fallout from eruption columns. These column heights suggest peak mass eruption rates of 1.1 × 10⁸, 1.9 × 10⁸, and 1.3 × 10⁸ kg/s. Maximum column heights and mass eruption rates occured early in each event based on the normal size grading of the fall deposits. Sequential satellite images of plume transport and the production of a large stratospheric aerosol plume indicate that the eruption columns were sustained at stratospheric altitudes for a significant portion of their duration. New estimates of tephra fall volume based on integration of isopach area and thickness yield a total volume of 2.19 km³ (1.09 km³ DRE, dense rock equivalent) or roughly twice the amount of the deposit mapped on the ground. Up to one-half of the erupted mass was therefore deposited elsewhere as highly dispersed tephra.     

Pyroclastic flows and surges over water: an example from the 1883 Krakatau eruption

Pyroclastic deposits from the 1883 eruption of Krakatau are described from areas northeast of the volcano on the islands of Sebesi, Sebuku, and Lagoendi, and the southeast coast of Sumatra. Massive and poorly stratified units formed predominantly from pyroclastic flows and surges that traveled over the sea for distances up to 80 km. Granulometric and lithologic characteristics of the deposits indicate that they represent the complement of proximal subaerial and submarine pyroclastic flow deposits laid down on and close to the Krakatau islands. The distal deposits exhibit a decrease in sorting coefficient, median grain size, and thickness with increasing distance from Krakatau. Crystal fractionation is consistent with the distal facies being derived from the upper part of gravitationally segregated pyroclastic flows in which the relative amount of crystal enrichment and abundance of dense lithic clasts diminished upwards. The deposits are correlated to a major pyroclastic flow phase that occurred on the morning of 27 August at approximately 10 a.m. Energetic flows spread out away from the volcano at speeds in excess of 100 km/h and traveled up to 80 km from source. The flows retained temperatures high enough to burn victims on the SW coast of Sumatra. Historical accounts from ships in the Sunda Straits constrain the area affected by the flows to a minimum of 4x10³ km². At the distal edge of this area the flows were relatively dilute and turbulent, yet carried enough material to deposit several tens of centimeters of tephra. The great mobility of the Krakatau flows from the 10 a.m. activity may be the result of enhanced runout over the sea. It is proposed that the generation of steam at the flow/seawater interface may have led to a reduction in the sedimentation of particles and consequently a delay in the time before the flows ceased lateral motion and became buoyantly convective. The buoyant distal edge of these ash-and steam-laden clouds lifted off into the atmosphere, leading to cooling, condensation, and mud rain.     

Partly-welded pyroclast flow deposits in Dominica,Lesser Antilles

A Pleistocene pyroclast flow of dacitic andesite composition is described from the island of Dominica, Lesser Antilles. Lateral zonation, from welded tuff to a tuffaceous zone of no welding and pumiceous distal facies is observed with distance from the vent. Comparable but less distinct zonation occurs in vertical sections. Variations in physical properties of the pyroclast flow, such as specific gravity, flattening ratio and grain size are described, and related to the degree of welding. Source of the pyroclast flow is located in the former crater of Micotrin volcano, now plugged by a dome. Eleven chemical analyses reveal small, but significant variations in composition, which, together with systematic variations in phenocryst content, are related to crystal sinking in the magma column prior to eruption.     

The destructive effects of binary encounters on red giants in the Galactic Centre

We consider the destructive effects of encounters between binaries and red giant stars in the Galactic Centre. Such encounters may explain the observed depletion of luminous red giants within the central 0.2 pc of the galaxy. We consider encounters involving 2- and 8-M⊙ red giants, and thus span the range of stellar masses contributing to the most luminous red giants observed in the Galactic Centre. To explore the phase space of encounters thoroughly, we simulate 18 × 10³ encounters using a modified four-body code in which the red giant core and components of the binary are treated as point masses, and where the envelope configuration is assumed to remain static throughout the encounter. We then rerun a small number of encounters with a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code to confirm the reliability of conclusions drawn from the four-body runs. We see two possible pathways to red giant destruction. A large fraction of encounters lead to the formation of common-envelope systems, where two compact objects (drawn from the red giant core and the components of the original binary) form a binary within a common gaseous envelope, whilst the third body is ejected. The destruction of the red giant will then follow when the envelope is ejected as the binary hardens. In a smaller number of encounters, the intruding binary passes through the star and ejects the red giant core from the envelope. The red giant envelope will then disperse on short time-scales. We compute the time-scales for both of these processes to occur in the Galactic Centre for a variety of binary populations.     

Simulations of spheroidal systems with substructure: trees in fields

We present a hybrid technique of N -body simulation to deal with collisionless stellar systems having an inhomogeneous global structure. We combine a treecode and a self-consistent field code such that each of the codes models a different component of the system being investigated. The treecode is suited to treatment of dynamically cold or clumpy components, which may undergo significant evolution within a dynamically hot system. The hot system is appropriately evolved by the self-consistent field code. This combined code is particularly suited to a number of problems in galactic dynamics. Applications of the code to these problems are briefly discussed.