Development and the Household: Missing the point?

Over the past two decades development has been shifting its focus toward smaller scales and particular problems. As a result, the household has become an increasingly important institution for development, and has come under increased scrunity as development practitioners and scholars seek to better understand this institution’s functions and foundations, trying to ‘get the household right’. These efforts, rather than clarifying the character and the function of the household, have contributed to its indeterminacy by reifying the very institution they seek to analyse. Arguing that these efforts fundamentally miss the point of examining the household, this paper introduces a different framework of analysis that addresses the household not as a fixed object of research, but as a local construction that embodies flows of power and knowledge both within and transcending the local. Using the example of varying constructions of the household in two villages in Ghana’s Central Region, this article illustrates how such an approach allows us to address the various functions of the household as particular embodiments of these flows, an approach that better explains the endurance or ephemerality of these functions. Such an approach provides a stronger foundation for the consideration of how particular constructions of this institution may have troubling implications for issues like gender equity and sustainability.     

Missing data estimation in tyrannosaurid dinosaurs: Can diameter take the place of circumference?

Missing data, due to taphonomic deformation, inaccessibility of specimens, or human error in collecting, cataloguing and measuring features, is a formidable problem in current palaeontological studies. Missing values within a data set can undermine confidence in analyses, skew results in promoting analyses of small portions of a population, not necessarily representative of the entire data set, and drastically decrease sample sizes. Missing data estimation methods, however, may reduce the effects of these missing values and potentially boost sample sizes for palaeontological studies. Here, six missing data estimation models for the prediction of femoral circumferences in tyrannosaurids were statistically tested and their predictive success measured against true circumferences, and other models. The statistical analyses suggest that estimation models based on anteroposterior diameter values of tyrannosaurid femora were poor predictors of circumference, whereas those based on mediolateral diameters were much more successful. Three out of the six models, were presented as viable alternatives to missing measured circumferences and may be used to boost tyrannosaurid samples with significant levels of missing data.     

The Dalradian of Scotland: Missing link between the Vendian of Northern and Southern Scandinavia?

The Dalradian sequence of the Scottish Highlands and the Vendian sequences of Scandinavian accumulated in rifts that evolved into passive margins in late Vendian to early Cambrian time. They closely resemble one another in their evolution. The Dalradian margin faced SE, the Scandinavian margins faced NW (present-day orientation). When plotted on a reconstruction of Laurentia, Baltica and W Gondwana in which Baltica has a more southerly position than the most commonly discussed reconstructions of Pannotia and Rodinia, the Vendian sediments form a coherent pattern. In particular, the enigmatic granitic clasts in the Port Askaig Dalradian tillite appear to have been eroded from the ∼1 Ga Proterozoic basement of southwestern Scandinavia. This reconstruction is supported independently by previous matches of the metamorphic belts of Baltica and Laurentia which have been largely ignored in most reconstructions of Pannotia and Rodinia, and by recent information on the age and distribution of rift-related magmatism.     

The dilemma of the Jiaodong gold deposits: Are they unique?

The ca. 126e120 Ma Au deposits of the Jiaodong Peninsula, eastern China, define the country＇s largest gold province with an overall endowment estimated as＆gt;3000 t Au. The vein and disseminated ores are hosted by NE-to NNE-trending brittle normal faults that parallel the margins of ca. 165e150 Ma, deeply emplaced, lower crustal melt granites. The deposits are sited along the faults for many tens of kilometers and the larger orebodies are associated with dilatational jogs. Country rocks to the granites are Pre-cambrian high-grade metamorphic rocks located on both sides of a Triassic suture between the North and South China blocks. During early Mesozoic convergent deformation, the ore-hosting structures developed as ductile thrust faults that were subsequently reactivated during Early Cretaceous ＂Yan-shanian＂intracontinental extensional deformation and associated gold formation. 〈br〉 Classification of the gold deposits remains problematic. Many features resemble those typical of orogenic Au including the linear structural distribution of the deposits, mineralization style, ore and alteration assemblages, and ore fluid chemistry. However, Phanerozoic orogenic Au deposits are formed by prograde metamorphism of accreted oceanic rocks in Cordilleran-style orogens. The Jiaodong de-posits, in contrast, formed within two Precambrian blocks approximately 2 billion years after devolati-lization of the country rocks, and thus require a model that involves alternative fluid and metal sources for the ores. A widespread suite of ca. 130e123 Ma granodiorites overlaps temporally with the ores, but shows a poor spatial association with the deposits. Furthermore, the deposit distribution and mineral-ization style is atypical of ores formed from nearby magmas. The ore concentration requires fluid focusing during some type of sub-crustal thermal event, which could be broadly related to a combination of coeval lithospheric thinning, asthenospheric upwelling, paleo-Pacific plate subduction, and seismicity along the continental-scale Tan-Lu fault. Possible ore genesis scenarios include those where ore fluids were produced directly by the metamorphism of oceanic lithosphere and overlying sediment on the subducting paleo-Pacific slab, or by devolatilization of an enriched mantle wedge above the slab. Both the sulfur and gold could be sourced from either the oceanic sediments or the serpentinized mantle. A better understanding of the architecture of the paleo-Pacific slab during Early Cretaceous below the eastern margin of China is essential to determination of the validity of possible models.     

Are there any relict rock glaciers in the British mountains?

The existence of a small population of ‘relict rock glaciers’ scattered across the main British mountain areas has previously been inferred from published cases of individual sites or local clusters. Discrete debris accumulations (DDAs) of widely differing character have been identified as ice‐debris landforms (whether ‘rock glaciers’ or ‘protalus lobes’) partly from morphological, sedimentological and topo‐locational evidence, but principally by analogy with both active and relict examples in present‐day arctic/alpine environments, with consequent palaeoclimate inferences. However, re‐interpretation of several supposed rock glaciers as rock slope failures has cast doubt on both the palaeoclimatic reconstructions and the origin of the remaining features. Issues of polygenesis and mimicry/equifinality have contributed to some previous misidentifications. We re‐evaluate the 28 candidate cases based on new field and image‐analysis evidence and place them on a continuum from no ice presence through passive ice presence and glacial shaping to emplacement onto glacier ice with consequent melt‐out topography. A null hypothesis approach (that there are no relict rock glaciers in the British mountains) is pursued, and the evidence indicates that none of the 28 cases clearly warrants classification as a relict rock glacier; their characteristics can be explained without recourse to any significant forward debris movement controlled or facilitated by incorporated or underlying ice as it deforms and melts out. However, only one‐third of the candidate DDAs are attributed in whole or part to rock slope failure (sensu stricto), with other debris sources including incremental rockfall, bedrock knolls with coarse debris veneer, protalus rampart and moraine. A few cases deserve more detailed investigation of their structure, morphology and sediments within a broader local glaciological/topographical context, with multitemporal/polygenetic evolution in mind. But it is for future researchers to demonstrate that deforming ice played an incontestable part in shaping these often enigmatic DDAs, given that other causes are simpler and commoner. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reversed structures and bounce structures: are they recognizable? Are they real?

This note poses two related questions about structural evolution in rocks. How easy is it to recognize structural features that have reversed their sense of development over time? Are there circumstances in rock deformation where early intensification of structure sows the seeds for a later, more or less inevitable, diminution of intensity? It is suggested, as a partial answer to the first question, that there is an irreversibility principle inherent to most structural development, such that even if bulk strain is reversed, the structural changes that accompanied `forward' structural development will not be completely reversed when the strain is reversed. Where this principle applies, it should always be possible to recognize structural reversals, by sufficiently close observation of the final state. It is suggested, as a partial answer to the second question, that where energy is stored by forward structural changes, this energy can often be expected to drive further structural changes, and these further changes may sometimes cause the original structure to `bounce' back to a less intense state. These questions may have some bearing on developing a firmer basis for kinematic analysis, and for understanding overprinting structures in orogens.     

Connection between variations of the stress-strain state of the Earth’s crust and seismic activity: The example of Southern California

A three-dimensional geomechanical model of Southern California, including mountain relief, fault tectonics, and characteristic internal borders, such as the roof of the consolidated crust and Moho surface, was created. The initial stress state of the model is determined by the gravitational force and horizontal tectonic movement, established on basis of GPS observations. Monitoring of variations in the stress state of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere, which are generated by seismic processes, has shown that the model enables us to predict an increase of seismic activity in a region and to mark the places in which average earthquakes can occur in the following two weeks.     

Are the Norwegian mountains compensated by a mantle thermal anomaly at depth?

The Norwegian mountains or Scandes represent a long mountain range stretching from southern Norway to the Arctic and is characterised by a rugged topography and peaks up to 2.5 km high. The origin of this mountain chain far away from any plate boundary remains a matter of passionate debates inside the geoscientific community. Hot mantle “fingers” originating from the Iceland Plume, impacting the base of the Scandinavian lithosphere and creating asthenospheric diapirs is one of the most accepted hypotheses for explaining Cenozoic uplift in Norway. In order to test this hypothesis we conducted integrated gravity and thermal modelling. We used the dense NGU gravity grid (i.e. one measurement every ~ 3 km) and modelled the depth extent and the mass deficit associated to the compensating loads located below the southern Scandes. Assuming that the density deficit below the Scandes is purely thermal in origin, thermal modelling allowed for testing the magnitude of the potentially associated temperature anomaly and its impact on surface heat flow. Recently acquired heat flow data were used in order to constrain the results from the thermal modelling. The results of our integrated geophysical modelling rule out the possibility that the present-day topography of the southern Scandes is compensated by a deep-seated asthenospheric diapir. However, our modelling does not exclude that thermal processes in the deep mantle could have initiated or assisted recent uplift of the southern Scandes.     

Are you Wittfogel or against him? Geophilosophy,hydro-sociality,and the state

Recent explorations of the “hydrosocial” cycle draw inspiration from Wittfogel’s basic concern with politics, power, and centralized authority, but move well beyond the limitations of previous scholarship. Most importantly, they have (re)introduced a conception of the social into the hydrological, and grappled with water’s materiality in ecumenical and creative ways. Understanding hydro-sociality requires an ontological approach to matter, flux, and flow. Water is the “universal solvent,” which makes it infinitely capable of mutation and connection. Yet, such indeterminacy proves difficult to capture in research and writing. Here I pinpoint some of the politico-discursive strengths of the hydrosocial approach, and also where I think its already strong ontological inclinations could be further developed. I draw from work in the area of “geophilosophy” as a way to explore hydro-sociality as a nonlinear process, developing a historicized account of irrigation politics, the flows of matter, and nonlinear dynamics in northwest Mexico’s Río Mayo Valley.     

In the aftermath of the end‐Permian extinction: the microbialite refuge?

We present the first study of micro‐crustaceans (ostracods) associated with microbial crusts in the aftermath of the most devastating extinction, the end‐Permian extinction (EPE). These post‐extinction microbialites dominated shallow shelf marine environments and were traditionally considered as devoid of any associated fauna. We present a micro‐palaeontological analysis of a large record from microbial and non‐microbial settings following the EPE. This dataset documents the proliferation of ostracods strictly associated with microbialites. Based on the diet of extant ostracods and uniformitarianism, we propose that the abundant microbes in the mats served as an unlimited food supply. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria may also have locally provided oxygen under low oxygen conditions interpreted by others for the microbialites. Microbialites provided a specialised environment that may have acted as refuge for ostracods in the immediate aftermath of the EPE. The surviving faunas may have been progenitors for the starting of the latter radiation.     

Fracture-like borehole breakouts in high-porosity sandstone: Are they caused by compaction bands?

We induced borehole breakouts in a 25%-porosity Berea sandstone by drilling 23 mm diameter holes into 152×152×229 mm blocks subjected to constant true triaxial far-field stresses. BSen5 consists of large quartz grains (0.5 mm) cemented mainly by sutured grain contacts. Breakouts in BSen5 are demonstratively different from those observed in granite, limestone, and lower porosity sandstones. Rather than the typically short ‘V’-shaped breakouts, BSen5 displays long fracture-like tabular slots, which counterintuitively, develop orthogonally to σ_H. These breakouts originate at the points of highest compressive stress at the borehole wall, along the σ_h spring line. Micrographs of BSen5 breakouts show an apparent compaction band created just ahead of the breakout tip in the form of a narrow layer of grains that are compacted normal to σ_H. The compaction band characteristics are nearly identical to those observed in the field. The mechanism leading to fracture-like breakouts is seen as anti-dilatant, and related directly to grain debonding and porosity reduction accompanying the formation of the compaction band. Some compacted grains at the borehole wall are expelled as a result of the line of tangential loading and the radial expansion of adjacent grains. The circulating drilling fluid flushes out the remaining compacted loose grains at the borehole-rock interface. As the breakout tip advances, the stress concentration ahead of it persists, extending the compaction band, which in turn leads to additional grain removal and breakout lengthening. By extrapolation, this process may continue for considerable distance (at least several times the wellbore diameter) in field situations, leading potentially to substantial sand production.     

Major,trace element and stable isotope composition of water and muds precipitated from the hot springs of Bolivia: Are the waters of the spring's potential ore forming fluids?

The deposition of metal-rich black or reddish muds by many thermal springs in the Cordilleras and the Altiplano of Bolivia suggest that these geothermal waters may be related to those that once formed the world-class Bolivian tin, silver and gold mineralisation. The discharge temperatures of these springs are as high as 70 °C. According to δ¹⁸O, δD, tritium data and Ar/N₂ ratios these waters are predominantly of meteoric origin. Less than 10% of the discharging thermal water represents deep-seated metal-rich thermal brines of at least 530 °C according to carbon exchange between CO₂ and CH₄. These brines ascend along tectonic faults and mix with low-temperature meteoric water in surface-near aquifers. The meteoric component of the thermal water is recharged in the high Cordilleras with residence times exceeding 50 years. The chemical composition of the thermal water is dominated by the rather inefficient low-temperature leaching of the surface-near aquifer rocks by meteoric water. The small fraction of metal-rich hot deep-seated water is not able to increase the metal content of the water mix to a level sufficient to classify these thermal waters as ore-bearing. Surface-near leaching is supported, e.g., by the B/Li ratios of the spring water of the Western Cordillera and Caleras/Pulacayo in the Eastern Cordillera that correspond very closely to that of the easily leachable glassy inclusions of the outcropping andesitic lavas. The often remarkable metal content of the muds deposited by the springs originate from efficient scavenging of heavy metals by ferric oxyhydroxides. Under the given arid to semi-arid climate the muds are additionally enriched in metals by wind-transported dust. The present study does support a relation of the actual thermal waters with neither the classical subduction-related Upper Tertiary tin, silver and gold mineralisation nor the supposed younger Sb mineralisation of Bolivia.     

Changing the earth science curriculum in the SADC countries: a necessity?

A large number of changes affect the professional environment of the earth scientist. These changes are quite rapid when seen within the human life span. They are brought about by improved communication networks, continuously developing instrumentation, the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the sciences and the changing demands of society. If taken seriously, then these changes must lead to a revision of the earth science curriculum, in which the fundamentals of the earth sciences should be studied in an integrated manner and in which skills, rather than just knowledge, are valued. Practical suggestions on how to revise the curriculum are made.     

Educational egaming: the future for geoscience virtual learners?

Current students will mostly comprise the so‐called ‘Generation Y’, who have grown up with personal computer and egaming technologies. Used to a variety of digital learning environments, it is probable that, for them at least, educational egaming may provide effective learning, complementary to more traditional teaching methods. Current geoscience digital educational methods are briefly reviewed and examined through three case studies of online educational geoscience egames. These are shown to provide a consistent experience, ‘24/7’ accessibility and effective learning.