Modes of occurrence and provenance of Gemstones of Sri Lanka

The island of Sri Lanka is underlain primarily by Precambrian metamorphic rocks belonging to the Amphibole, Cordierite and Pyroxene facies. Gemstones occur mainly in the Cordierite and Pyroxene facies terrains of the Southwestern and Highland Groups of rocks. Gem mining is carried out on hill tops, river valleys and beds and gemstones are found associated with eluvial, residual and alluvial sediments. The dominant gemstones mined are blue sapphires, rubies and beryl. The sources of gem type minerals are determined to be garnetiferous gneisses, cordierite gneisses, marbles and pegmatites.

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Résumé L'île de Sri Lanka est formée presque entièrement des roches métamorphiques de l'âge precambrien. Celles-ci appartiennent aux faciès granulitiques à cordierite et à pyroxène. Les pierres précieuses se trouvent dans les terrains caractérisés par ces faciès que l'on classe dans les groupes dits Highland et Southwestern. L'exploitation des pierres précieuses se fait aux sommets des collines ainsi que dans les vallées ou dans les lits des rivières et une bonne partie de pierres ainsi exploitées sont des saphirs bleus, rubis et de béryls. Les minéraux qui sont à l'origine des pierres précieuses proviennent des gneiss à grenat ou à cordierite, des marbres ou des pegmatites.

     

P-V-T equation of state of lawsonite

A pressure-volume-temperature data set has been obtained for lawsonite [CaAl₂Si₂O₇(OH)₂.H₂O], using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and an externally heated diamond anvil cell. Unit-cell volumes were measured to 9.4 GPa and 767 K by angle dispersive X-ray diffraction using imaging plates. Phase changes were not observed within this pressure-temperature range, and lawsonite compressed almost isotropically at constant temperature. The P-V-T data have been analyzed using a Birch- Murnaghan equation of state and a linear equation of state expressed as β=–1/V₀ (∂V/∂P) _T . At room temperature, the derived equation of state parameters are: K ₀=124.1 (18) GPa K'₀ set to 4) and β^–1=142.0(24) GPa, respectively. Our results are intermediate between previously reported measurements. The high-temperature data show that the incompressibility of lawsonite decreases with increasing temperature to ∼500 K and then increases above. Hence, the second order temperature derivative of the bulk modulus is taken into account in the equation of state; a fit of the volume data yields K ₀=123.9(18) GPa, (∂K/∂T)_P=–0.111(3) GPa K^–1, (∂² K/∂T ²)_P=0.28(6) 10^–3 GPa K^–2, α₀=3.1(2) 10^–5 K^–1, assuming K'₀=4. Received: 2 June 1998 / Revised, accepted: 12 Ocotber 1998     

The enthalpy of fusion of anorthite

The high-temperature enthalpies of liquid and glassy CaAl₂Si₂O₈ were measured by drop calorimetry using a diphenyl ether drop calorimeter. These data are combined with published values of the high-temperature enthalpy of crystalline anorthite and the enthalpy of vitrification of anorthite to obtain the enthalpy of fusion of anorthite. Analysis of the data yields the following preferred values (enthalpy in kcal/mol, uncertainty limits correspond to two standard deviations):enthalpy of vitrification at 985 K, _v H _{v 985}=18.6±0.6; enthalpy of the liquid at 1,830 K, H ₁₈₃₀ ^l ₃₀₀ ^g =130.4±1.2; enthalpy of the glass at 985 K, H ₉₈₅ ^g -H ₃₀₀ ^g =46.7±0.4; enthalpy of crystalline anorthite between 985 and 1,830 K, H ₁₈₃₀ ^c -H ₉₈₅ ^c =69.9±1.4; calculated enthalpy of fusion of anorthite at 1,830 K, _f H ₁₈₃₀= 32.4±2.1.The average heat capacity of supercooled liquid CaAl₂Si₂O₈ between the glass transition (T _g 1,086 K) and the melting point (T _f7=1,830 K) is 102 ± 2 cal/mol/K. The large difference between the enthalpy of fusion and the enthalpy of vitrification for the minerals anorthite and diopside is emphasized. The practice of assuming _fH _vH should be discontinued for silicate compounds for which T _f T _g.     

Geochemistry of Thermal Waters of Continental Margin of Far East of Russia

Studied waters belong to warm(T=30-50℃),alkaline(pH=8.9-9.3),low mineralized(TDS235 mg/1)Na-HCO_3 or Na-SO_4-HCO_3 thermal waters with high content of SiO_2(up to 81 mg/l)and F(up to 3.9 mg/1),occur on modern volcano-tectonic rejuvenated areas of Eastern Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt.Low~3He concentration as well as N_2/O_2 and N_2/Ar ratios exclude influence of deep mantle fluid.New rare earth element data constrain our understandmg of water-rock interaction occurring in the water source region.Meteoric origin of waters is proved by stable isotope values varying from-71‰to-136.1‰and from-10.8‰to-18.8‰forδ~2U andδ~(18)O respectively.REE patterns reflect high pH,resultfing from water-rock interaction and oxidative conditions.Calculations of deep aquifer temperature using Na-K and quartz geothermometers show 116.8-131.1°C and 82.2-125.8℃respectively.Presence of deep faults both with abnormal thermal gradient(~45-50 K/km)define unique geochemical shape of thermal waters of Sikhote-Alin,area,where no present volcanic activity is registered.     

Scaling properties of corner frequencies of Kamchatka earthquakes

Scaling properties of earthquake populations bear the major information on the physics of the source process of an earthquake. To determine scaling properties, source spectra of more than 400 earthquakes of Kamchatka were determined in a frequency range 0.1–30 Hz using materials of digital registration of PET station, and characteristic frequencies of earthquakes were estimated. The range of magnitudes is 4–6.5, the range of distances is 80–220 km. To enable reduction of a spectrum to the source, attenuation properties of the medium around PET were determined beforehand. It is revealed that source spectra show several corner (characteristic) frequencies: f _c1, f _c2 and f _c3; where the spectral trend changes: from f ⁰ to f ^?1, from f ^?1 to f ^?2, and from f ^?2 to f ^?3, respectively. Although in some cases f _c1 ≈ f _c2 in agreement with the usual ω^?2 spectral model, the main part of spectra has more complicated character. For a large part of the studied earthquakes a source-controlled upper cutoff of acceleration spectrum, or corner frequency f _c3, is observed. This is an important fact, as the existence of f _c3 (source-controlled f _max) is not recognized in the bulk of the seismological literature. For f _c1, the observed scaling agrees with the usual hypothesis of similarity of the earthquake sources of different size (magnitude); it is close to f _c1 ～ M ₀ ^?1/3 , where M ₀ is seismic moment. For f _c2, scaling is close to f _c2 ～ M ₀ ^?0.17 ～ f _c1 ^0.5 , that indicates an expressed violation of similarity. For f _c3, scaling is close to f _c2 ～ M ₀ ^?0.08 ～ f _c1 ^0.25 , so that similarity is broken even sharper in this case. Hypotheses about possible causes of the observed scaling are discussed.     

Analysis of the characteristics of self-similarity of seismicity and the active fault network of Eurasia

An analysis of the possible relationship between fractal dimensions of the active fault network, spatial distribution of earthquake epicenters, and parameter b in the Gutenberg-Richter law is presented. The quantitative characteristics of self-similarity of the seismic process and the active fault network of seismically active areas of Eurasia are obtained. This self-similarity manifests itself over a range of at least two orders of spatial scales and magnitudes. The obtained estimations of the fractal dimensions of the fault network D _f and epicenter field D _e are close for all the areas analyzed. It is established that the average value connecting values D and b for all the investigated areas is slightly higher than the theoretical value (2.0) and varies within the range of 1.7–2.4.     

A method of integral sampling of rock masses

SummaryA Method of Integral Sampling of Rock Masses A new sampling method is presented which yields core samples representative of the whole rock mass, including fractures of any nature and their infillings, and also of the zones with very low strength. Additionally the core samples are oriented.By means of the core samples it is possible to determine the properties of the rock mass, particularly of fractures and infillings.

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ZusammenfassungEine Methode zur Entnahme vollständiger Gebirgsproben Die vorliegende Arbeit befaßt sich mit einer neuen Probeentnahmemethode, die es erlaubt, Bohrkerne zu gewinnen, welche das ganze Gebirge darstellen, samt Brüchen jeglicher Art und zugehörigen Füllungen, sowie Bereichen von sehr geringer Festigkeit. Die gewonnenen Bohrkerne sind außerdem richtungsorientiert. Sie erlauben die Bestimmung der Gebirgseigenschaften, besonders der Klüfte und Füllungen.

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RésuméUne Méthode de Sondage Intégral des Massifs Rocheux On présente une nouvelle méthode de sondage qui fournit des carottes représentant l'ensemble du massif rocheux, y compris des fractures de n'importe quelle nature et leurs remplissages, et aussi les zones à très faible résistance. Au surplus les carottes sont orientées.À partir des carottes on peut déterminer les propriétés du massif, notamment de ses fractures et leurs remplissages.

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With 16 Figures     

Kinetics of diffusion-controlled growth of fayalite

The rate of growth of fayalite (Fe₂SiO₄) has been measured at one atmosphere total pressure, temperatures from 1000° to 1120° C, and oxygen fugacities controlled by CO/CO₂ gas-mixing from 10^-9.9 to 10^-13.0atm, chosen to span the fayalite stability field. The fine-grained polycrystalline fayalite layer was formed by reacting the oxides FeO or Fe₃O₄ with a thin slice of single-crystal quartz. The rate of growth of the fayalite increases with increasing temperature and decreasing oxygen fugacity, and is consistent with a parabolic rate law, indicating that the growth rate is controlled by diffusion through the fayalite. Microstructural observations and platinum marker experiments suggest that the reaction phase is formed at the quartz-fayalite interface, and is therefore controlled by the diffusion of iron and oxygen. The parabolic rate constant was analyzed in terms of the oxide activity gradient to yield mean chemical diffusivities for the rate-limiting ionic species, assuming bulk transport through the fayalite layer. Given that iron diffusion in olivine polycrystals occurs either by lattice diffusion, which shows a positive dependence on oxygen activity, or by grain boundary diffusion, which would result in growth rates significantly faster than we observe, we conclude that the diffusivities derived in this study represent oxygen diffusion. However, since oxygen lattice diffusion in fayalite has been established to be much slower than our measurements, it is likely that the transport path for oxygen is along the grain boundaries. Thus, the mean grain boundary diffusivity of oxygen in fayalite $\bar D$ _O ^gb (m² s^-1), using the measured grain size of 0.25 μm, is then given by $$\bar D_O^{gb} {\mathbf{ }}\delta = 1.28 \times 10^{ - 3} f_{O_2 }^{ - 0.17} {\mathbf{ }}e^{ - 540/RT} $$ , where δ is the grain boundary width (in m), and the activation energy is in kJ/mol. Assuming δ=10^-9 m (Ricoult and Kohlstedt 1983), the oxygen grain boundary diffusivities are about a factor of 30 × slower than those reported by Watson (1986) for Fo₉₀ olivine.     

Effects of pH and temperature on dimerization rate of glycine: Evaluation of favorable environmental conditions for chemical evolution of life

To evaluate favorable environmental conditions for the chemical evolution of life, we studied the effects of pH and temperature on the dimerization rate of glycine (Gly: NH₂-CH₂-COOH), one of the simplest amino acids. Gly dimerizes to form glycylglycine (GlyGly), and GlyGly further reacts to form diketopiperazine (DKP). Gly solutions with pH ranging from 3.1 to 10.9 were heated for 1-14 days at 140 °C, and changes in concentrations of Gly, GlyGly, and DKP were evaluated. At pH 9.8, the experiments were conducted at 120, 140, 160, and 180 °C. The dimerization rate of Gly was nearly constant at pH 3-7 and increased with increasing pH from 7 to 9.8 and then decreased with further increases in pH. To elucidate the reason for this pH dependency, we evaluated the role of the three dissociation states of Gly (cationic state: Gly⁺, zwitterionic state: Gly^±, and anionic state: Gly⁻). For pH >6, the dominant forms are Gly^± and Gly⁻, and the molar fraction of Gly^± decreases and that of Gly⁻ increases with increasing pH. The dimerization rate was determined for each dissociation state. The reaction between Gly^± and Gly⁻ was found to be the fastest; the rate constant of the reaction between Gly^± and Gly⁻ was 10 times the size of that between Gly⁻ and Gly⁻ and 98 times that between Gly^± and Gly^±. The dimerization rate became greatest at pH 9.8 because the molar fractions of Gly^± and Gly⁻ are approximately equal at this pH. The dimerization rate increased with temperature, and an activation energy of 88 kJ mol⁻¹ was obtained. Based on these results and previous reports on the stability of amino acids under hydrothermal conditions, we determined that Gly dimerizes most efficiently under alkaline pH (∼9.8) at about 150 °C.     

Effect of pressure on the diffusivity of network-forming cations in melts of jadeitic compositions

The diffusivities of network-forming cations (Si⁴⁺, Al³⁺, Ge⁴⁺ and Ga³⁺) in melts of the jadeitic composition NaAl(Si, Ge)₂O₆ and Na(Al, Ga)Si₂O₆ have been measured at pressures between 6 and 20 kbar at 1400°C. The rates of interdiffusion of Si⁴⁺-Ge⁴⁺ and Al³⁺-Ge³⁺ increase with increasing pressure at constant temperature. The results are consistent with the ion-dynamics computer simulations of Jadeite melt by Angellet al. (1982, 1983). The coefficient measured for the Si⁴⁺-Ge⁴⁺ interdiffusion is between 8 × 10^?10 and 2.5 × 10^?8$\text{cm}{}^2\text{sec}$ at 6 kbar, depending on the composition of the melt, whereas at 20 kbar it is between 7 × 10^?9 and 2 × 10^?7$\text{cm}{}^2\text{sec}$. The effect of pressure is greater for more Si-rich compositions (i.e., closer to NaAlSi₂O₆ composition). The coefficient measured for the Al³⁺-Ga³⁺ inter- diffusion is between 9 × 10^?10 and 3 × 10^?9 cm²/sec at 6 kbar and between 3 × 10^?9 and 1 × 10^?8$\text{cm}{}^2\text{sec}$ at 20 kbar. The rate of increase in diffusivity with pressure of Al³⁺-Ga³⁺ (a factor of 3–4) is smaller than that of Si⁴⁺-Ge⁴⁺ (a factor of 7–17).The Si⁴⁺-Ge⁴⁺ interdiffusion in melts of Na₂O · 4(Si, Ge)O₂ composition has also been measured at 8 and 15 kbar for comparison. The effect of pressure on the diffusivity in this melt is significantly smaller than that for the jadeitic melts. The increase in diffusivity of the network-forming cations in jadeitic melts with increasing pressure may be related to the decrease in viscosity of the same melt. The present results, as well as the ion-dynamics simulations, suggest that the homogenization of partial melts and mixing of magmas would be more efficient at greater depths.     

The geochemistry of the stable isotopes of silicon

One hundred thirty two new measurements of the relative abundances of the stable isotopes of silicon in terrestrial materials are presented. The total variation of ^δ30Si found is 6.2%., centered on the mean of terrestrial mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks, δ³⁰Si = ?0.4%.. Igneous rocks show limited (1.1%.) variation; coexisting minerals exhibit small, systematic silicon isotopic fractionations that are roughly $\text{1}\text{3}$ the magnitude of concomitant oxygen isotopic fractionations at 1150°C. In both igneous minerals and rocks, δ³⁰Si shows a positive correlation with silicon content, as does δ¹⁸O. Opal from both sponge spicules and sinters is light, with $\text{}\text{?}\text{gd}{}^{30}\text{Si}\text{= ?2.3}$ and ?1.4%., respectively. Large ^δ30Si values of both positive and negative sign are reported for the first time from clay minerals (?2.3 to +1.8%.), opaline phytoliths (?1.4 to +2.8%.), and authigenic quartz (+ 1.4%.). All highly fractionated samples were precipitated from solution at low temperatures; however, aqueous silicon is not measurably fractionated relative to quartz at equilibrium. A kinetic isotope fractionation of ≈3.5%. is postulated to occur during the low temperature precipitation of opal and, possibly, poorly ordered phyllosilicates, with the silicate phase being enriched in ²⁸Si. This fractionation, coupled with a Rayleigh precipitation model, is capable of explaining most non-magmatic δ³⁰Si variations. Chert ^δ30Si values are largely inherited, but the primary opal ^δ30Si values can be modified by isotopic equilibration of silicate silicon and dissolved silicon during the transformation of opal into quartz.     

Computation of the seismic stability of rock wedges

Summary Newmark's concept of computing the permanent displacement under seismic loads has been combined with the conventional limit equilibrium analysis to compute the displacements of a rock wedge. The rock wedge formed by the intersecting planes may or may not have a tension crack in the upper slope surface. As the static analysis of a rock wedge is available from the literature, only the seismic problem is treated theoretically in more details.A computer program has been developed to compute the displacements from the digitised input data of the acceleration-time-history. The program can take into account the water pressure on the intersecting planes and on the planes of the tension crack. The effect of rock anchors if present is also taken care of in addition to static surcharge loads. The program calculates the conventional static factor of safety, remaining resistance against sliding, the critical acceleration, exciting force, relative velocity with time and the cumulative displacements.Two model examples are presented: one with simple sinusoidal acceleration and the other one with actual earthquake data considering the different systems of forces acting on the wedge. The results are critically discussed with respect to the different parameters e. g. anchor forces, water pressure and cohesion influencing the magnitude of displacements under seismic loads. It is shown that the critical acceleration is a better index for the seismic stability than the conventional factor of safety.The critical acceleration presented in this paper serves as a very handy tool for a site engineer to get the first hand information about the stability of the wedge for a given acceleration-time-history without going into the details of dynamic analysis.Notations A, B Inclined intersecting planes - C, D Geometric points on the intersection ofA andB - a _cr Critical acceleration - a _h Horizontal acceleration - a _v Vertical acceleration - a _r Relative acceleration of the wedge - DF Driving force - DF _dyn Dynamic driving force - DF _st Static driving force - FS Factor of safety - g Acceleration due to gravity - m Mass of the wedge - RF Resisting force - RF _dyn Dynamic resisting force - RF _st Static resisting force - RS Remaining resisting force against sliding - RS _dyn Total seismic induced force - RS _st Remaining static resisting force against sliding - s _r Cumulative relative displacement of the wedge - TRS Total remaining resisting force against sliding - v _r Relative velocity of the wedge - W Weight of the wedge - W _A ,W _B Weight of the wedge in the planeA andB - Dip of line of intersection of the planesA andB - Average friction angle - _A , _B Friction angle of planeA andB - I, II, III, IV Points in the curve shown in Fig. 6     

Diatoms from surface sediments of Enderby Basin of Indian Sector of Southern Ocean

Diatoms from surface sediment samples collected from Enderby Basin of Indian Sector of Southern Ocean were analyzed to determine the relative abundance and distribution of seven key indicator diatom species viz. Sea ice related species Fragilariopsis rhombica, F. separanda, F. curta, F. ritscheri, Thalassiosira tumida and Actinocyclus actinochilus and Open Ocean species F. kerguelensis on the basis of modern physico-chemical parameters. The relative abundances of different species observed viz. F. rhombica — 6.25%; F. separanda — 12.5%; F. curta — 10.53–13.33%; F. ritscheri — 4.55–12.5%; F. kerguelensis — 6.25–63.64%; T. tumida — 3.13% and A. actinochilus — 9.38–13.33%. The increasing abundance of F. kerguelensis consecutively suggests the effect of Antarctic bottom water in the study area which is further substantiated by the presence and increasing abundance of F. ritscheri. The gradual decrease in abundance or absence of sea ice related species from the sampled stations indicates the summer and winter sea ice extent concentration in the study area. The nutrient concentration correlates with the distribution and abundances of diatom species.     

Applicability of palaeomagnetism of pyrrhotite to ore-genetic studies

Pyrrhotite has never before been used in palaeomagnetic investigations, being highly anisotropic magnetically. The aim of this paper is to show that fine-grained pyrrhotite aggregates of hydrothermal origin can be used for palaeomagnetic purposes. This has been proved with polymetallic Turkak veins from Kutná Hora in Central Bohemia as an example. It can be assumed that other localities with occurrence of hydrothermal pyrrhotite aggregates which contain directionless, uniformly scattered pyrrhotite grains and therefore forming a magnetically isotropic medium may be suitable for palaeomagnetic studies.

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Zusammenfassung Pyrrhotin, mit einem hohen Grad magnetischer Anisotropie, ist bisher für die paläomagnetische Datierung unbeachtet geblieben. Diese Arbeit will zeigen, daß feinkörnige Pyrrhotinaggregate hydrothermalen Ursprungs für paläomagnetische Untersuchungen geeignet sind, was am Beispiel polymetallischer Gänge von Turkak in Kutná Hora in Zentralböhmen dargestellt wird. Es ist anzunehmen, daß auch andere Vorkommen hydrothermaler Pyrrhotinaggregate in denen regelmäßig verteilte Körner richtungslos orientiert vorliegen und so ein magnetisch isotropes Medium bilden, sich für paläomagnetische Untersuchungen eignen.

     

Re-examination of the crystal structure of weberite

Summary The crystal structure of weberite, Na₂MgAlF₇, was redetermined from 3-dim. X-ray data and refined by least squares methods in space groupImma to a conventional reliability factorR=0.036. Mg and Al have octahedral 6-coordination. Two crystallographically independent kinds of Na atoms form different NaF₈-polyhedra with the F atoms at the corners of a flattened hexagonal bipyramid and of a square prism, respectively.

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Neubestimmung der Kristallstruktur des Weberits

Zusammenfassung Die Kristallstruktur des Weberits, Na₂MgAlF₇, wurde aus 3-dim. Röntgendaten neu hestimmt und mit der Methode der kleinsten Quadrate in RaumgruppeImma auf den konventionellen ZuverlässigkeitsfaktorR=0,036 verfeinert. Mg und Al haben oktaedrische 6-Koordination. Zwei kristallographisch unabhängige Arten von Na-Atomen bilden mit den F-Atomen zwei verschiedene NaF₈-Polyeder; in einem sitzen die F-Atome an den Ecken einer abgeflachten hexagonalen Bipyramide, im anderen an den Ecken eines quadratischen Prismas.

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With 2 Figures     

鱼嘴构造在相邻能干层能干性估测中的应用

      利用不同类型鱼嘴状石香肠构造恢复能干层原岩的初始厚度,并进一步分析原岩发生在应变椭球Z轴方向和X方向 的线应变,以应变差折射流变计的方法为基础,推导出一种求相同基质中相邻能干层粘度比的估测方法。以湖北大冶铁山 地区采集的两块鱼嘴状石香肠标本为例进行了应用尝试,得到大理岩基质中两层不同的角岩鱼嘴状香肠体的粘度比分别为 3.07和0.75。     

Chemistry of rainwaters in the south Pacific area of Russia

On the south-eastern edge of Russia, the chemical composition of rainwater is controlled by sea salts, terrestrial material, as well as volcanic (Kuril islands volcanic area) and anthropogenic emissions, mostly in the southern part of the area. The predominant major ions of the Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands rainwaters were respectively HCO₃⁻–SO₄²⁻, Ca–Na, and of Cl–Na. Concentration of trace elements changes within 1–2 orders of magnitude but some difference in the distribution of the elements between continental and island rainwater is found. The concentration of the chemical elements in the particulate fraction varies from < 10% to 90% of the total concentration (dissolved + particulate) with the following distribution: Tl, Na, Ca, Sr, Zn, Cd (< 10%)–Be, Th, Bi, Rb, U, K, Sc (10–20%)–Cu, Mn, Mg, Mo, Se, Ba, Ni, As, Ag, Cs, Co, Y, Ga, V (20–50%)–Sb, Pb, Ge, Cr, Fe, Al (50–90%).The concentration of elements of the particulate fraction of the rainwater usually is significantly different from concentrations in the crust, including both higher and lower concentrations. The terrestrial contribution to dissolved elements was evaluated and follows the decreasing order: Fe > K, Mg, Ca > Ba, Sr > Na (65–1%). Close order was found for total (dissolved and solid) concentrations. Sea salt contribution to dissolved element concentration in the rainwater decrease in the following order: Cl, Mg > K, SO₄ > Ca > HCO₃⁻, Ba, Fe (78–0.1%). Calculation of anthropogenic and volcanic inputs for two ions (Cl⁻ and SO₄²⁻) shows that anthropogenic inputs for the Vladivostok and Yuzno-Sakhalinsk cities can be evaluated as 15–20% of Cl⁻ and up to 80–90% of SO₄²⁻. Volcanic components in the Kuril Islands, where anthropogenic inputs are absent, can reach up to 76% of SO₄²⁻ and 36% of Cl⁻.     

A redetermination of the isotopic abundances of atmospheric Ar

Atmospheric argon measured on a dynamically operated mass spectrometer with an ion source magnet, indicated systematically larger ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios compared to the generally accepted value of Nier [Nier A.O., 1950. A redetermination of the relative abundances of the isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and potassium. Phys. Rev. 77, 789-793], 295.5 ± 0.5, which has served as the standard for all isotopic measurements in geochemistry and cosmochemistry. Gravimetrically prepared mixtures of highly enriched ³⁶Ar and ⁴⁰Ar were utilized to redetermine the isotopic abundances of atmospheric Ar, using a dynamically operated isotope ratio mass spectrometer with minor modifications and special gas handling techniques to avoid fractionation. A new ratio ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar = 298.56 ± 0.31 was obtained with a precision of 0.1%, approximately 1% higher than the previously accepted value. Combined with the ³⁸Ar/³⁶Ar (0.1885 ± 0.0003) measured with a VG5400 noble gas mass spectrometer in static operation, the percent abundances of ³⁶Ar, ³⁸Ar, and ⁴⁰Ar were determined to be 0.3336 ± 0.0004, 0.0629 ± 0.0001, and 99.6035 ± 0.0004, respectively. We calculate an atomic mass of Ar of 39.9478 ± 0.0002. Accurate Ar isotopic abundances are relevant in numerous applications, as the calibration of the mass spectrometer discrimination.     

Distribution and enrichment of trace metals in marine sediments of Bay of Bengal,off Ennore,south-east coast of India

In order to avoid the pollution of trace metals in marine environment, it is necessary to establish the data and understand the mechanisms influencing the distribution of trace metals in marine environment. The concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Co and Cd) were studied in sediments of Ennore shelf, to understand the metal contamination due to heavily industrialized area of Ennore, south-east coast of India. Concentration of metals shows significant variability and range from 1.7 to 3.7% for Fe, 284–460 μg g⁻¹ for Mn, 148.6–243.2 μg g⁻¹ for Cr, 385–657 μg g⁻¹ for Cu, 19.8–53.4 μg g⁻¹ for Ni, 5.8–11.8 μg g⁻¹ for Co, 24.9–40 μg g⁻¹ for Pb, 71.3–201 μg g⁻¹ for Zn and 4.6–7.5 μg g⁻¹ for Cd. For various metals the contamination factor (CF) and geoaccumulation index (I _geo) has been calculated to assess the degree of pollution in sediments. The geoaccumulation index shows that Cd, Cr and Cu moderately to extremely pollute the sediments. This study shows that the major sources of metal contamination in the Ennore shelf are land-based anthropogenic ones, such as discharge of industrial wastewater, municipal sewage and run-off through the Ennore estuary. The intermetallic relationship revealed the identical behavior of metals during its transport in the marine environment.     

The influence of the decay of OB associations on the evolution of dwarf galaxies

The ejection of stars from spheroidal and disk dwarf galaxies resulting from the decay of OB associations is studied. This has substantial observational consequences for disk galaxies with escape velocities up to 20 km/s, or dynamical masses up to 10⁸ M _⊙. The ejection of stars can (i) reduce the abundances of the products of Type Ia supernovae and, to a lesser degree, Type II supernovae, in disk stars, (ii) chemically enrich the galactic halo and intergalactic medium, (iii) lead to the loss of 50% of the stellar mass in galaxies with masses ∼10⁷ M _⊙ and the loss of all stars in systems with masses ≲10⁵ M _⊙, (iv) increase the mass-to-luminosity ratio of the galaxy.